A/N

Thank you, Hannah (grahamlecter) for Beta-reading my story. I greatly appreciate your help!

And I appreciate all those readers who are following and favoriting, as well as those leaving wonderful comments. If there's anything in particular you like (or dislike) about the story, please take a moment and leave a review. Thank you. I love hearing from the readers!

G-Girl

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Chapter Twenty-Six – A Night of Surprises

Spencer could hear Susan saying she had to get back into the kitchen, to stir the pancetta and onions so they wouldn't burn. Since the pan was on low, and he was stirring them, that wouldn't happen.

Dave walked around the corner, with Susan and Krystall following him. Spencer grinned, waving as he leaned casually against the counter next to the stove.

Smiling broadly, Dave shook his head and crossed the kitchen to hug him. "How long has this been going on?"

"Um… a while now?"

By now, Penelope, followed by the group, was coming out of the basement door. Spencer told them that Emily would be there soon.

Dave looked over the stove, checking the pancetta and onions. "Suzie, do you need my help with the pasta?"

"Ci penso io. Cugino, ti fidi di me? Have some bruschetta… relax."

"I do trust you, and the bruschetta looks great!" He ate one. Holding his fingers to his mouth, he did a Chef's kiss. "Mwah! Molto Bene."

Spencer, happy to be the good host, offered everyone appetizers and drinks as he slid the sliding glass door open. He asked Betty to turn the lights on the deck and around the backyard.

Dave pointed outside. "Kid, I'll take you up on that. To the bar."

As the group was going outside, Will asked where a bathroom was for his youngest, Michael.

"The bathroom is the door on the left, across from the front door."

Susan went back to the fridge, took four pitchers of water out, two with lemon and mint, the other two plain filtered water, and set them on the counter, then finished mixing the vegetarian pasta. Penelope came back in with a drink in her hand.

"Need any help?"

Susan pointed with her wooden spoon. "Could you take these out to the table and ask Spencer to come in? Emily should be here any time, now." Penelope put her drink down, picked up two pitchers out, and asked Tara, who had come back in, to help take out the other two.

Spencer came back in, holding the sliding glass door open for Penelope and Tara as they went back out. The gate alarm sounded with a BEEP BEEP BEEP. Closing it, he turned around and asked. "Emily's here?"

"Should be…" The doorbell rang. Susan had Penelope's pasta ready in a serving bowl while mixing the rest, so he offered to get the door.

"Thank you, Love!" She turned back to the stove, smiling.

He let out a surprised "Whaaat?" Emily, followed by Aaron and Jack Hotchner, Savannah, holding young Hank, and Derek Morgan, coming in behind the rest. As Spencer closed the door, Morgan hugged him, lifting him off the ground.

Aaron grinned ear to ear, as he rounded the corner into the kitchen "Suzie, you're all grown up!" and threw his arms around her. Jack, behind him, shyly waved. At 15, he was nearly as tall as his father.

Spencer introduced Susan to Morgan and Savannah when Penelope came back in to get her drink. She gasped when she saw them, running over to hug them all. "Oh! We were just talking about how you guys should be here!"

Emily told her, "Susan wanted to surprise Spencer, by inviting them." By now, the rest of the group came back in from the backyard, hugging the newcomers.

Susan set the bowls of salad on the counter, with several bottles of dressing, mixed the last of the pasta, into the four large serving bowls, and sprinkled the rest of the cheese on top, as Dave cheerfully helped by sprinkling the chopped parsley over the cheese. Tara and Penelope offered to help Susan by bringing out the wine.

"Thank you. You'll find the aerator and bottle opener over there." She pointed behind her to the counter as she slid pasta tongs in each bowl. The group took everything out to the tables. Everyone was catching up while they ate, having a good time.

Penelope, sitting next to Dave, noticed he was checking out her vegetarian version of the dinner. "Here, Rossi, try this. Susan used olives as a substitute for the pancetta."

He used his fork to take some from her plate and ate it, nodding slowly. "I can still tell the difference, but okay, it works." He gave Susan a thumbs up.

"Thanks, Dave, that means a lot. Oh, and I made your favorite tiramisu, and my special cream cheese flan, for later."

As the excited talking wound down, Susan stood up. "Now that everyone is here, I would like to make a toast. This is something I learned years ago in Girl Scouts, but it applies perfectly to this group. Make new friends," as she held her wineglass up, gesturing around the table, "but keep the old," nodding to Dave and Aaron. "one is silver, the other, gold." Then she turned to Spencer as she slid her hand over his shoulder. "As for love, one of my favorite quotes is by Joseph Campbell. Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were once walls. I followed my bliss, and the universe led me to you, not once, not twice, but several times. Not everyone gets that many chances… It's a good thing the universe was patient while we figured it out. I love you, Spencer." She leaned over and kissed him.

There was a round of "Aww," from the group as he got up and hugged her. He put his arm around her back, holding her proudly against his side.

She shuddered and took a drink of the wine. "Mmm. This is delicious, for a regular bottle of Pinot." Then she noticed the bottles on the table. The Chateau Cheval Blanc. She gasped and burst out laughing.

Spencer asked, "What is it?"

"It's my fault; I forgot to put them away." She pointed to a bottle, and his eyes widened.

"Well, I hope everyone likes the wine." Spencer grinned and held his glass up. "Cheers."

Dave picked up the bottle. "Where on earth did you get this?"

"In the sub-basement." Spencer said, "There are 34 other bottles down there..."

"This is all on me. I forgot I left them on the counter." Susan told the group she and Spencer had brought those bottles up, then found out what they were worth. There were various reactions from the group, from laughter to shocked gasps.

Penelope's eyes widened. "Sub-basement?"

"Uh-huh. I'll show it to you another time. Hey, does anyone want to dance?" She gestured towards the shed and over half the group started getting up to go to the dance floor.

Dave said he wanted to dance with Susan, and Spencer asked him, "Do you want Betty to play your favorite song?"

"No, thanks. I'm not falling for that one again. Hey Betty," he called out to the speaker on the pergola frame above them, "How about playing Sway, by Dean Martin?"

As the music started, he offered Susan his hand, and they started dancing. Will and JJ danced, as did Emily and Aaron. Spencer asked Krystall to dance, so that when he cut in, Dave could dance with her. Morgan whispered to Savannah, who was holding Hank on her lap, then got up and held out his hand to Penelope. They went over to dance.

Dave smiled, holding her hand as she did a turn. "Suzie, I don't have to ask if you're happy, I can see it on your face."

"Yes, I'm extremely happy and before you ask, yes, he makes me shake like Mom did with Dad and Grandma did with Grandpa. I don't think you know this, but I attended a lecture Spencer did in '06, and he made me feel that way back then."

"And I'm happy for you both and that you found each other on your own… after you finished college and started your career. You know how important that was to your mother."

After another minute, Spencer tapped Dave on the shoulder with a wide grin, asking to cut in, offering him Krystall's hand. He took Susan's hand as Dave pulled Krystall into his arms and danced away.

When the song ended, there were requests for faster dance music. Dave announced he was going to freshen up his and Krystall's drinks, heading back toward the bar as she went to sit down at the table.

Spencer walked beside him. "Dave… I need to tell you something."

"Sure. Fire away, Kid."

He looked over at the group on the dance floor, then turned back to Dave. "I asked Susan to marry me… and she said yes. I wanted you to know before everyone else… and I want to make sure you're okay with it since you're part of her family."

"Do you promise to make her happy and always be faithful?"

"I promise," Spencer said earnestly, nodding.

"Then I'm okay with it." He put his hands on either side of Spencer's head and kissed him on both cheeks. "Sempre felice a tutti e due." Dave pulled away, narrowing his eye, and pointed his finger inches from Spencer's face. "And you know what happens if you ever hurt her… right?"

Spencer's eyes went wide, and he gulped. "I would never intentionally hurt her."

"Good. Then we have an understanding. Capisce?" Again, Spencer nodded, and Dave smiled, hugging him.

Morgan came over to ask if there was any beer in the small fridge behind the bar. "Hey. What's going on?"

"Susan and I are engaged to be married. Would you be my best man?" He answered Spencer with a bear hug and a whoop.

His phone went off as Derek put him down. He pulled it out of his pocket, looking down at it. "Excuse me. I'll be right back." He went into the house and a couple of minutes later, came out, followed by a man wearing a suit, closing the sliding glass door behind him.

Dave saw him first and grinned, holding out his hand. "Phil, hey, how are you?"

Phillip Spencer Jr. shook it, then hugged him.

The group on the dance floor didn't see this happening, so when Phil walked up behind Susan and tapped her shoulder, she turned around, expecting Spencer.

"Phil!," she gasped as she threw her arms around his waist and hugged him.

"Surprise, Sooz!"

Aaron crossed the dance floor. "Phil, how have you been?" putting his hand out and Phil shook it, then pulled him in for a hug.

"Great, Aaron, how about you? Damn, it's been ages!"

Susan introduced him to the rest of the group, then glanced behind him. "Where are the boys? Did you bring them?"

"No, they're camping with Katie this weekend. I was going to come out in a couple of weeks but figured… your… uhh… the stuff from the sub-basement was more important."

"Are you hungry? We have plenty of food."

"Thanks, no, Sis. I ate earlier."

Spencer waved to catch Penelope's attention and gave her a thumbs-up. She corralled the group, asking them to go sit down.

Everyone sat down around the table, and Spencer said there was something he wanted to say. Susan made sure Phil had a glass as the last of the wine was poured, then stood at the end of the table, next to Spencer.

He told the group, "Now that you all are here, we wanted you to know… I asked Susan to marry me… and… she said yes." There were surprised gasps around the table. JJ smiled, trying to be happy for her friend.

Spencer took the ring out of the box he pulled from his jacket pocket and slipped it back onto her finger. As he kissed her, everyone else was getting up and coming over to congratulate them. Almost everyone. He didn't notice JJ getting up to check on the boys. They went inside after dinner and were watching a Disney movie.

Phil hugged his sister, kissing her forehead. "Congrats, Sis. I'm happy for you both. Spence called me last week and told me he was going to propose and asked if I'd come out. Of course, I had to. When I asked him if you were happy, he said yes, very much. But I need to ask you something."

Susan smiled. "Sure, Phil…" She knew.

"Do you do that shaking thing, like Mom and Grandma used to?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yes, Phil… I do. He's the only one who has ever made me feel that way." With her arm still around Spencer, she gave him a gentle squeeze.

Tara and Penelope went to the kitchen, coming back with the desserts and small plates.

Phil asked, "Is that your flan, Sooz?"

She nodded. "Yes, and you're welcome to have some."

"Thanks! Yes, please!"

Spencer's phone buzzed again. He glanced at it. "I'll be back. Susan, I need you to go with me?"

He opened the front door, finding Andre and Etienne, carrying various photographic equipment and a camera bag.

As they stepped in, they spoke to each other in French about how in love the pair looked, then Andre said to Susan, in his thick accent, "I get a call from your lovely man, saying he was going to propose and wanted us here. So, of course, we are here to take your pictures and to congratulate you."

He glanced around, deciding the library would be a good place to set up, so Spencer went in and turned on the lights. Andre added, "And when you marry, we will come back to take more pictures, Oui?" Etienne started setting up while Susan took Andre out to introduce him to the group. She leaned over to Spencer, who stood next to her.

"Sweetheart, how did you get Phil and Andre's phone numbers?" Susan whispered.

"Marsha. Since she and Lizette couldn't be here tonight, we should have them over for dinner… soon."

"I'd like that." She kissed him.

Etienne came out to tell Andre everything was ready. He waved to the group and went back in as Andre, Susan, and Spencer followed. The rest of the group trailed in to find Andre posing the pair by the piano.

Phil stood by the pocket doors. "Hey Sooz, do you remember Dad's favorite song? The one he and Mom used to dance to?"

"Bridge Over Troubled Water, but the song he and Mom danced to was Unchained Melody."

Phil said "Yeah, yeah, that's right. Mom wanted you to learn to play that on the violin and Dad asked you to stop?"

Aaron burst out laughing. "Oh! I remember. Begged, more like it." He held his clenched fists over his ears with his eyes pinched shut. "Make it stop, make it stop. It sounds like cats fighting."

"I admit it.'' Susan turned to Spencer and shrugged. "See? I told you." He couldn't help but grin at how adorable she was.

Chuckling, Phil checked his watch. "Hey, Sooz? I'm going to visit some friends in the area but I'll be back over tomorrow evening… say, about 5?"

He gave her a hug and shook Spencer's hand, then hugged Dave and Aaron. "G'night all." He waved at the rest of the group and went out the door, closing it behind him.

Andre was ready. "C'est magnifique," he gushed over the pair, "C'est parfait." He held Spencer's jaw in his hand, saying, "This one has a face for the camera, as much as ma muse Chérie."

Spencer turned his head to Susan and smiled as Andre took a few more photos. Some were looking around the library. Garcia stood with Morgan, talking in the doorway.

After he finished, Susan asked if he would take pictures of the rest of the group. Andre agreed, grouping couples and families, one of Morgan and Garcia, then a group photo. He and Etienne packed up, saying they wished they could stay longer, but had to head back to the hotel, then back to the train station in the morning. After they left, the group went back outside.

Penelope asked Susan to go with her to the entertainment shed, where she pulled a beaded hip scarf off the coat rack. "Does this have anything to do with the belly dancing outfits in your costume room?"

"Yes, it does. I teach that at the center, as well."

"Would you show me, please? I've always wanted to learn. It's on my I don't want to call it a bucket list, bucket list." The other ladies made their way over as Susan tied the hip scarf on and did a couple of hip shimmies. She handed out the crocheted hip scarves—in various colors—for each of the others to wear.

Morgan walked back to the table with another beer, pointing toward the stage, asking Spencer, "What are they doing?"

"Oh, it's, uh… you have to watch it. Trust me." He grinned and had the guys sit facing the stage.

Susan showed the ladies how to isolate their hips, pointing to show how the knees drove the hips and taught them some basic moves, including what Susan called crazy eights, which she taught in her dance class. She showed them how to do the figure eights, from side to side, then front to back and around, slowly at first, and then faster.

"Shakira's songs work but so do many others; Santana, too if you want a bit of a Spanish flavor. Those are two of my favorite artists." Susan asked Betty to play Hips Don't Lie. She would turn to show how the move looked, from the front and behind. After the song ended, she asked Betty to play Ojos Asi and they practiced the moves. Susan would start, and the group followed. They were having a good time, laughing and dancing.

Morgan chuckled, hooking his arm around Spencer's shoulder. "Oh, Pretty Boy, what have you gotten yourself into? Can you even handle this woman?" Looking over at the ladies, he saw Savannah smiling at him, and he tapped his chest, gesturing, as his heart beating. He turned his head back to Spencer. "Do I need to give you pointers?"

He grinned. "I can handle her fine. Trust me; we've got everything… covered."

Aaron, on his other side, gave Spencer a dark, brooding look, furrowing his brows, and when Spencer's eyes widened, he laughed, clapping him on his back. "I'm joking, Reid. I'm happy for you. Suzie's a great girl."

Morgan nudged his arm and said in a low voice, "So… tell me, Kid, how many books have you read this week?"

"Uh, two? No, three. I've been… uh… busy." He chuckled, and Morgan mussed his hair.

"Oh, you dog. Now, tell me about this shaking thing. What is that all about?"

Spencer told him as he ran his fingers through his hair to move it out of his face. He shrugged and added proudly, "I'm the only one who makes her feel that way."

Morgan gave him another neck hug. "You… my friend, are a lucky man."

"More than you could ever know, but yeah, I agree." He turned back to the women, who were still dancing. "Uh… guys? We need to be more of a supportive audience." They clapped and cheered as the music ended.

The ladies hung up their hip scarves and went back over to the table, laughing and shimmying. Spencer looked over at Susan and told the group they were going to Las Vegas the next weekend.

Dave stopped in his tracks as he was walking back from the bar with a glass of ice water. "Please tell me you aren't eloping."

"No. My dad's getting married. I'm taking Susan to meet him and his fiancée and to be there for the wedding."

Will checked on the boys and came back out after a few minutes. "Michael is asleep on the sofa. It's nearly 10; we should be heading home." He apologized for cutting the evening short.

Spencer asked the group if they could get together and do something the next day, and Susan suggested softball at the park. "There's always a group of teens looking for a pickup game. We could do brunch here and then go to the park, afterward?"

They worked out a plan for the next day, decided on a time, who would bring what to eat and drink, and started taking dishes to the kitchen, loading the dishwasher, putting away the leftovers.

Penelope went outside to call Matt and Luke to let them know about brunch and the softball game the next day. She was about to go in when JJ came out to get her jacket. She pointed to the kitchen garden window. Inside, Spencer and Susan were kissing.

"Oh, look at them, Jayje. That's the real deal there."

JJ was going to say something, but Will walked over to let JJ know he and the boys were ready to go.

After the LaMontagne family left, Tara, Dave, and Krystall headed home. Emily said would driving Derek, his family, and the Hotchners back to the hotel. Savannah was sitting on the sofa, holding a sleepy Hank.

Spencer asked Morgan if he remembered the shooting and hostage situation at the medical clinic nearly twelve years before.

"Yeah, I remember. Gideon headed up the evacuation. And you shielded a blind girl who got separated from her mother, right? What made you think of that?"

"Actually, Susan brought it up. It turns out she was the girl. She had laser eye surgery right before the shooting."

Emily recalled the incident. "Oh, yeah, that wasn't that long after I joined the BAU. Hotch and I were on the other side of the building, so we didn't see the gunman until after Metro PD had him on the ground in cuffs."

"I remember hearing Gideon say "Emily, Emily, she's safe, stay back." Morgan shook his head and chuckled. "I thought for sure he had lost his mind; Emily wasn't around."

Aaron said quietly, "Jason was talking to Suzie's mother, also named Emily. After it was all over, I helped them look for Suzie. That's why he and I rode back after you all left."

"I didn't recognize her." Spencer shook his head, shrugging. "She wore shorts, a t-shirt, a baseball cap, and wraparound sunglasses. I thought she was… a blind girl, and when she stood behind me, I could feel her shaking. But she didn't know who I was, either. You walked up and told me you were taking her back to her mother..."

Morgan asked, "Hey Kid, can we talk?" They went outside.

While they talked, Spencer unplugged the heaters and put them away. He figured he'd help Susan with the cleanup; gather up the tablecloths and napkins from the tables, close up the shed while showing Morgan the rest of the yard.

In the kitchen, Penelope went over some minor issues, plus suggesting some fixes for Susan. "Now… I want to see the Du Massier prints that weren't released to the public. When we were in the library earlier, I was so excited about having Andre du Massier take my picture, I forgot all about asking to see yours."

Walking into the library, Susan turned on the lights. They found Emily and Aaron leaning against the wall, kissing passionately. Penelope gasped and startled the pair.

Susan held her arm, pulling her out of the library. "No, no, don't mind us. Please… carry on." They ran out back, telling Morgan and Spencer what they saw, and as they came back in, Susan asked Betty to turn out all the lights in the yard.

Penelope sighed. "This house is so full of love."

Spencer agreed, nodding. "Right?"

She added, "It's love magic!" They went to the living room as Aaron and Emily were walking through the foyer towards them. Both were smiling and still a little flushed.

Aaron cleared his throat and spoke up first. "When Emily picked up Jack and me at the airport this morning, I told her we're moving back to the area. We spent the day together, talking, catching up, and we… clicked." He looked at her, still smiling.

Spencer's eyebrows snapped up. "Wait… this morning?"

"Oh!" Susan gasped. "I almost forgot. Aaron, I have something for you." She went into the library and brought back the book. "Phil and I found it recently, among Gramp's law books."

Aaron read the inscription and as he closed the book, hugged her. "Thank you, Suzie. Your grandfather was a great man. I learned a lot from him."

"Aww. That's so sweet." Penelope decided it was time for her to go home. "It's late people and since we're getting together tomorrow, I need my sleep."

"Betty," Spencer asked, "are both driveway gates still open?" The AI system answered in the affirmative.

Morgan looked up, grinning, saying it was like having Garcia behind the scenes and how he missed talking with her on the phone every day.

She poked his arm. "Then you need to call me more often. See you tomorrow." She hugged him and turned to Spencer. "Come on, you hunk of burnin' love, go move your car, so I can head home."

This seemed the perfect time to end the evening. There were more hugs, and the rest of the group left. After parking his car in the driveway, Spencer came back in and closed the door, asking Betty to close the gates, lock up and set the alarm. Susan met him in the foyer after making sure the slider was locked and the kitchen lights were off.

Tired, but happy, he kissed his fiancée in the foyer and they went up the stairs holding hands…

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A/N

If you haven't already done so, read The Talk in Side Stories. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoyed it.

Up next, Chapter 27 - Maeve.

Coming soon (after I fix a few things), Chapter 28 - The Softball Game.

And the road gets bumpy ahead... Buckle up and stay tuned.

G-Girl