"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all."
-Helen Keller
SEASON 8 (January)
It was a cold January afternoon. Trinity Margaret Douglas walked out of the 1C room with Isaac Schindler at her side, along with several other rowdy first graders who decided to run out the doors just as the final bell rang.
"My mama told me that Beth told her she'd take us to a movie." Trinity said to Isaac, holding onto the railing as they climbed the stairs.
Isaac stood behind her as more older kids came barreling down the stairs. "But it's a school night."
"You can go to the movies on school nights." She looked behind herself. "It might be at four or five, and we'll get home around six or seven."
"What?"
"Becca told me kids movies only last an hour or an hour and thirty minutes." She shrugged. "Big kid movies are longer; I don't know how they can watch something longer than that."
"Lara and me watched a movie that she said was two hours and twenty minutes." Isaac bragged.
"Did you get to pause it to go pee and get snacks?"
"Yeah?"
"Doesn't really count," she spoke. "what movie did you watch?"
"Something about 2001 and space. It was really boring, but Lara said she kinda liked it."
Trinity nodded, and just like that, the two were on the second floor, and hugging the walls to not be run over by other kids.
Isaac tilted his head. "Do you remember what room Jack's in?"
"2B?"
"I thought it was 2D?" He made a face.
Trinity pursed her lips. "Maybe let's go to 2C first? It's in between, and Morgan always told me to do that if two people can't come up with something to do."
"That's smart." He nodded.
"Yeah, she is."
"I bet she's not smarter than Lara." He teased.
The small girl looked back at him as they continued to cling to the wall. "I think so too."
Isaac went quiet, not expecting that answer. Still, the two pressed on through the hallway, sometimes hearing muffled words about "The little babies in first grade."
Yet, when Trinity Douglas saw dirty blonde hair, along with a familiar face, the widest of grins spread across her lips.
"Jackie!"
She squealed in excitement and pushed past every kid in her way to reach him. The boy turned upon hearing his nickname saw the first grader practically springing towards him. Grinning, he walked a few steps before hugging her tightly.
"Hi, Trinny." He replied.
The girl squeezed him tightly before letting go and pulling away. "What're we doing today?"
He shrugged and began to walk. "I don't know,"
"Come on," she whined, following him. "you have to."
"Isaac!" Jack grinned, running towards the boy just a year younger than him. The two hugged once they reached each other and Trinity pouted, feeling left out.
When the two pulled away, they then began walking; the hall thankfully becoming easier to move around in with kids lining up in their dismissal groups. Sadly, little Trinity was left behind, and forced to run to catch up to the boys.
"Hey!" she yelled, running up beside Isaac. "You left without me."
The boy just shrugged. "Sorry,"
"Yeah," Jack admitted. "sorry Trinny."
She pouted. "That's okay, just don't do it again."
They nodded and Isaac looked over to the elevator just down the hall. He smiled. "Hey! What if we took the elevator?"
Jack and Trinity glanced at each other, their facial expressions perplexed. When they looked away, the boy was the first to speak.
"It's old."
"So?" He asked.
"It'll break and we'll die." Trinity stated, shaking her head.
"No, it won't,"
"Yes, it will,"
"No, it won't."
"Yes, it will!"
Thankfully, Jack Hotchner stepped in when the girl nearly screamed at the top of her lungs. "We're not taking the elevator!"
While Trinity grinned, Isaac whined. "Why?"
"It'll just take longer, and Beth said we were going to watch a movie." Jack began leading them down the stairway.
"Told you so!" Trinity bragged, smirking at Isaac.
The Schindler boy pouted. "What movie?"
"The Avengers,"
"Yes!" Isaac cheered.
"No!"
The two boys looked back at the girl, who wore a dismal look. After taking the stairs, the three of them were on the first floor, and walking towards the exit when Jack asked.
"What's so bad about The Avengers?"
Trinity made a face. "There's only one girl."
"Nuh uh!" Isaac shook head. "There's Natasha and Maria."
"Two then, and how many boys are there?"
"A lot," both Jack and Isaac responded as they pushed the doors open.
The three kids were met with the cold, bitter air as they carefully walked down the steps; trying not to slip on the ice. Trinity spoke up again.
"Why are there so many boys?"
"Because boys are better than girls." Isaac smirked.
"No, they're not!"
"They're smarter than girls. Jack can read books fourth graders can."
"And your sister is in high school; so, if boys are smarter, why aren't you in high school too?"
Jack covered his mouth with both hands to stifle his laugh at the look on Isaac's face. The boy's jaw dropped all the way to the ground, and little Trinity Douglas simply grinned wryly at him.
"Beth!"
Isaac and Trinity looked away from one another when they heard their friend in second grade cheer her name. There, parked in the street, was Beth Clemmons. The woman smiled up at the three children and waved.
Jack Hotchner rushed down the last set of stairs and instantly hugged the woman. With a giggle escaping her lips, she embraced him tightly.
"Hey guys! How was school?"
"Good,"
"Boring,"
"Okay,"
The three kids looked at one another, all confused at the varied responses. Beth couldn't help the smile on her face, and she shook her head, chuckling.
"Well then, how does The Avengers on DVD sound?"
Isaac and Jack cheered, while Trinity just played with the straps of her backpack. Beth smiled, then gently placed her hand on top of Trinity's hair to get the girl's attention. Sure enough, the six-year-old girl looked up at her.
"But, we have to run to Target to get some groceries." Beth grinned.
The three kids eyed each other, not quite understanding how getting groceries at Target could be fun.
"That means we can get movie theater popcorn instead of just making it from the microwave." She elaborated.
Soon, all of their faces lit up at the suggestion, and they could barely contain their excitement as they rushed to the car, pulling on the locked doors with all their might, becoming more agitated by the second.
Beth unlocked the car, the doors flew open, and the kids started piling in. The sole adult made her way to each side, buckling the three into their booster seats. Jack sat in the middle, with Trinity on his left, and Isaac on his right.
"So," Beth dragged out the 'O' as she stopped at the first light after getting into the car and starting it. "who's everyone's favorite superhero?"
"Thor!" Isaac announced.
Jack bit the inside of his lip, thinking deeply about his answer. After a few more moments of thought, he smiled.
"Spiderman."
"He's not an Avenger." Isaac said.
"Yeah, but he's my favorite superhero, not Avenger."
"Who's your favorite Avenger then?"
"Captain America, duh."
"Iron Man's better."
"No, he's not."
Beth saw this as a time to break it up before a miniature war could break out between the two boys. "I'm just going to take a wild guess Black Widow is your favorite, Trinity?"
The little girl shook her head. "Nope."
"Oh, who is it then?"
"Garcia."
Isaac and Jack looked over at her, taken off guard. Beth's smile grew just a little at the girl's answer.
"Garcia the tech analysis? Yeah, she's a really sweet girl."
"She's not a superhero." Isaac commented.
"She's more of a superhero than you'll ever be." Trinity fired back.
Beth glanced over her shoulder as she drove. "Okay, guys, let's be nice to each other.
"He started it,"
"She started it," They said simultaneously, pointing to each other over Jack.
The woman sighed, using her turn signal before turning left. "It doesn't matter who started it. End it now, or we're not going to get popcorn and candy for the movie."
"I thought we were just getting popcorn?" Jack asked.
She smiled over at him. "Well, if Trinny and Isaac can say sorry to each other, then we can get candy and maybe even soda with the popcorn."
Of course, after that proposition, the small Hotchner boy looked in between his two friends; silently communicating for them to apologize. Sighing, Isaac gazed over at Trinity first.
"I'm sorry for…" he asked Beth. "what did I do?"
Trinity answered before she could. "You said Garcia wasn't a superhero."
"Well she…" The boy stopped himself, now thinking. "yeah, she's a superhero. I'm sorry."
She nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry I was a little bitch."
Isaac and Jack gasped, immediately covering their ears. Trinity flinched, then looked in the hanging mirror to see Beth's wide eyes. She swallowed.
"Trinity, where did you hear that word?"
The small child shrunk in her booster seat. "Rebecca got in trouble for calling someone that at dance. She just said it meant a mean girl."
Beth nodded in understanding. "Well, it's just never a good word to say. Okay, sweetheart?"
Trinity nodded, looking down, ashamedly. "Am I in trouble?"
"Oh no, no you aren't." Beth reassured her, turning right. "You didn't know what it meant, but now you do. So, are you going to say it again?"
"No,"
"Good girl." Beth praised. "We're almost there, you guys."
And she was right, after a few more minutes of driving, Beth Clemmons put the car in park, and got out. She then helped the kids out of the car (all three had miraculously unbuckled themselves with no problem), and they made their way into the Target.
Beth had gotten a cart, leading Isaac and Trinity to grab onto and hang off of it as the woman pushed it around. Little Jack simply walked right beside Beth, theorizing (that) if he added to the weight, he'd topple the cart over.
Isaac Schindler looked over at Trinity in confusion when he noticed that they passed the popcorn popper. The girl looked slightly peeved herself, but somehow did a stupendous job at hiding it from Beth. So, the boy looked up at her.
"Beth? We passed the popcorn."
She nodded, turning into the produce aisle. "I know. I've got a few groceries I need to pick up though. So, I was thinking we could get all the fun stuff at the end, how does that sound?"
The three looked at each another. Of course, by the looks on their faces, not one of them liked that idea one bit. Yet, only one of them voiced their opinions.
"It sounds stupid." Trinity pointed out.
Beth smile dropped at the girl's tone, and both boys met eyes; slightly fearful at how the woman in charge would react.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, but we're still doing it." She continued to push the cart.
"Why?"
"Because, if we got the popcorn first, you'd eat it all up before we got to my apartment."
"Why?"
"Because popcorn is delicious."
"Why?"
"Trinity," Beth hugged the cart close to the aisle, and stopped it. "I know what you're doing. I think you should stop it right now, or you won't be getting anything today."
The little girl glared up at the older woman after she finished. She sunk her nails into the cart that she was holding on to, then let go and placed both of her feet onto the floor.
"Fine," she sighed.
Beth nodded, then turned to gather a few pieces of fruits and vegetables to put into the cart. After that, she then wheeled the cart out of the aisle, and Jack and Trinity followed.
"Hey Jack," Beth looked down at him, grinning. "what do you want for dinner tonight?"
"Chicken nuggets!"
She laughed. "You had that last time your daddy was on a case."
"I know."
Beth shook her head, still pushing the cart with Isaac hanging on. "I was thinking I could make grilled cheese sandwiches tonight?"
He shrugged. "Okay."
Just as she was going to turn into another aisle, she saw that it was crowded with several other carts and people gazing over all the products. It did not help one bit that the aisles were all so slender and already hard to walk through from time to time. So, Beth crouched down slightly to talk to the kids.
"Hey, guys? I need to go down at the end of the aisle to find something. I'll only be gone for a minute or two. Is that okay?"
Jack nodded, while Isaac responded with an enthusiastic 'Yeah!'. Trinity Margaret Douglas on the other hand, just stared at Beth.
The woman crossed her arms, and the little girl mirrored her. Beth then said. "Trinity? Do you have an answer for me?"
Biting her tongue, the girl nodded, and said softly. "Okay."
Beth smiled, nodding back at little Trinity. Just like that, she disappeared into the narrow aisle. The three kids were left alone to entertain themselves.
"Do you think the Hulk could beat up Thor?" Jack asked Isaac.
The Schindler boy shook his head. "There's no way. Thor is a god."
"But the Hulk's bigger."
"Well, Spencer told me that his hammer could actually raise the dead; not just shoot lighting. Can the Hulk do that?"
"Can Thor throw people around with his bare hands?"
"That's a stupid question."
"No, it's not!" Jack shook his head.
Trinity groaned lightly. "You're both so stupid."
The two boys looked over at her, a bit shocked by her reaction. When Jack didn't say anything, Isaac spoke up.
"You're the one that got in trouble with Beth."
"Only because I wasn't a chicken." She taunted.
"I'm not a chicken!" The boy defended himself.
Jack, ever the mediator, spoke up. "Can you stop, please? You two are really loud."
Trinity instantly felt bad, looking at her older friend. Still though, she turned back to Isaac, speaking normally. "You're a baby chicken."
Isaac scowled at her, then crossed his arms. "If I'm a chicken, I wanna see you do something to show you're not one too."
"I'll do you one better," Trinity said, copying a phrase she heard Morgan use. "I'll give you something to do so you can show you're not a chicken."
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
The two glared at each other in bitter silence, and poor Jack just stood there in awkwardness. Isaac rose his eyebrows.
"Well? What do I do?"
Trinity hissed. "I'm thinking, stupid. Something you haven't done in forever."
"Well, then think faster if you're so smart."
The girl bit her lip in frustration and closed her eyes as she thought. Maybe she could dare him to open a box of cereal, eat from it, then put it back? Or to climb on top of one of the shelves and jump off? Or, just maybe, she could dare him to talk back to Beth? Or…wait.
No
She couldn't, could she?
Regardless, six-year-old Trinity Douglas smirked.
"I dare you to walk out of the store with me."
Isaac's face dropped. "Like…leave? Without Beth?"
"Yeah, genius."
He shook his head. "Nuh uh, nope! Not doing that."
"Then I guess you are a chicken." Trinity teased him.
Jack finally stepped in. "He'd get in trouble."
"I know," she shrugged. "but I'll still do it."
That was when the little girl started walking away from the shopping cart, and from the two boys. Of course, she felt a hand grab onto hers.
"Trinny, don't." Jack begged.
She looked at him, pulling her arm out of his grip. "I'm going."
"We won't get popcorn and see the movie."
"I don't care," she shrugged. "I can get ice cream for free."
"Wait," Isaac spoke up. "where?"
Trinity smiled. "Morgan works at the ice cream place."
"Which one?"
The girl tilted her head to the side. "I think it's like Cold…stone? Yeah, Coldstone!"
Isaac's jaw dropped. "She gives you free ice cream?!"
"Well," Trinity began. "she says not a lot, but I think she'd be okay if all of us came in."
"All of us?!" Jack interjected. "I'm not going!"
She shrugged, looking at the Schindler boy. "Do you wanna go?"
"Yeah!"
"Alrighty then," she turned to the other boy. "bye Jack!"
The small child took Isaac's hand in hers, and practically pulled him away from the cart with her. Just like last time, they were stopped when Jack grabbed Isaac's arm.
"Please don't go. I don't want you guys getting in trouble."
Trinity puckered her lips before saying. "Jackie, you'd get in trouble too even if you didn't go."
"Why?"
She smirked. "You're the oldest, so that means you're in charge when Beth's gone."
The boy had an epiphany and he nodded. "Yeah! So that means you're staying here!"
"But it's my right as a person to be allowed to go anywhere. Garcia said so." She pointed out.
"Well I-!"
"-And if you're all here by yourself, when Isaac and me are gone, then you'll get in trouble because you were in charge."
That stunned Jack into silence. The boy's mind was raking over everything she had just told him, and possible outcomes. What to do, what to do?
After a few more seconds of thought, the seven-year-old sighed heavily.
"Do you know where it is?"
"Duh," she shrugged.
Jack nodded, then took Isaac's hand into his.
"Let's go."
And so, the three kids ran out of the Target without a second thought. Jack, once hesitant and terrified of leaving, was now laughing and smiling as he walked through the streets of Washington D.C in the middle of winter with his friends.
There was a little snow on the ground, but nothing too bad. The weather was cold enough for the little ones to wear winter jackets and boots, but not necessarily warranting hats and gloves.
It being the afternoon, the streets and sidewalks were packed with several people going from one place to the next. As they walked, the kids noticed a few heads turn at the sight of them walking by themselves; yet, not even the parents with their baby in a stroller stopped to talk to them.
So, life was good.
"Do you know where we're going?" Isaac looked over at Trinity.
Since the roads were crowded, the three decided to hold hands until they got to Coldstone so they wouldn't get lost.
She nodded. "'Course I do. Where were you when Jack asked that?"
"I asked you if you knew where it is," the eldest corrected. "not if you knew how to get there."
"Well, I do know how to get there, so hush up." She sassed the boys. "Besides, if we get there before Morgan does, it's stupid."
"Why?" Both Isaac and Jack asked.
"We won't get free ice cream. So, we can just go on our own adventure."
"And do what?" Isaac questioned.
Trinity grinned, looking around. "We could go to stores, we can go to parks, we can do anything we want. Wanna know why?"
"Why?"
She smirked. "Because we're big kids."
The boys looked over at each other, then shrugged, looking back at the only girl, smiling. While still holding hands, Isaac managed to take the lead, rushing in excitement.
"What do we do first?"
The little girl smiled. "I don't know, what do you wanna do today?"
"I don't know, what do you wanna do today?" Isaac asked.
"I don't know, what do you wanna do today?" Trinity repeated her question, stifling a giggle.
Isaac made a funny face, trying to hide his grin. "I don't know, what do you wanna do today?"
"Guys," Jack groaned in annoyance. "just make up your mind."
Trinity and Isaac stopped instantly, and the little girl spoke up first. "Sorry, Jackie."
"Yeah, sorry Jackie." Isaac apologized.
Jack nodded, then looked around. It wasn't often that he'd pay attention to where he was going when walking through D.C, that's what his dad and Beth were for; they always knew where to go. Now, as Jack Hotchner was standing with only his two younger friends at his side, he felt lost.
That was, until he saw a familiar building.
"Petco!" He pointed towards it.
Isaac and Trinity followed his finger, and their faces lit up at the sign with the red dog and blue cat. The Schindler boy, being in the middle of the two, cheered.
"Come on, let's go!"
With that, the three began sprinting towards the pet store. Luckily, all the crosswalks were open, or the kids made it across the street just as the numbers were counting down to a stop. Soon, the three were approaching the entrance, when-.
"Wait, wait, wait," Jack let go of Isaac's hand, and ran towards the doors.
"What are you doing, Jackie?" Trinity gave him a questioning look.
"Just wait."
So, the other two did, and watched Jack stare ahead at the door a few feet in front of him. Raising his right hand, and taking two steps forward, the door slid open. He turned around to look at his friends with a smiling face.
"I'm a jedi!"
"A what?" They both asked, walking towards him.
"A jedi!" Jack repeated, waiting until they were at his side. "You guys haven't seen Star Wars?"
"What's Star Wars?" Trinity asked.
"It's these cool movies my dad showed me. They're kinda scary sometimes, I don't think you'd like them."
"I'm not scared of anything." She stood taller.
"You screamed when we watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory during indoor recess." Isaac said knowingly.
The little girl rolled her eyes. "That's only because Jessie screamed, and she was right next to me."
"It wasn't the boat in the tunnel part that scared you?" Jack questioned.
Trinity flinched at the mention, but shook it off. "No! It wasn't scary at all, Jessie's just a baby."
Isaac side eyed her, but didn't say anything. Jack Hotchner, on the other hand, simply stared at his friends. "Can we go in now?"
They nodded, and, with the doors sliding open once again, entered the pet store.
The three kids stared in awe at the animals around them. Sure, it wasn't their first time in the store; but, with having no pets whatsoever, it had for sure been a long time.
"Do you think we could at least get a fish?" Jack asked, ogling at the decorations for an aquarium. "They don't cost that much."
"Morgan, Becca, and I had a fish once." Trinity began, also looking at the decorations. "She died after three years. We flushed her down the toilet."
Jack looked over at her. "What was her name?"
She shrugged. "Don't know."
"Was it a beta?" Isaac asked.
The two kids looked over at their friend, who was staring up at the countless amounts of fish in a single tank. They moved over to him.
"A what?" Trinity asked as her jaw slightly dropped at the sight. Stacked on top of each other were tanks of several fish in varying shapes, colors, and sizes. The kids were even in shock to see some turtles and miniature crabs.
"A beta fish," Isaac restated. "they usually live from three to five years, while goldfish can live to be ten years old."
Jack smiled as he looked at the fish. "Did you read that?"
Isaac shook his head. "Spencer told me."
"The Magic Man?" Trinity asked.
"Huh?"
"Mister Reid?"
"Actually, it's Doctor." He corrected her.
She nodded. "Oh yeah, I keep forgetting he's not an actual doctor."
"Not the one we think of."
"What kind of doctor is he then?"
Isaac shrugged. "I don't know."
They left it at that, and the three kids were left with themselves, all staring at separate fish. They seemed to be in their own little worlds, until Jack spoke up.
"Do you guys have any money with you?"
Trinity and Isaac looked away from the tanks, and to Jack. Of course, he was still keeping his eyes on a single tank consisting of beta fish. The little girl shook her head.
"Even if we did, we'd use it for the ice cream."
Isaac gave her a look. "I thought we'd get it for free?"
"Yeah, but it'd be nice if we left a tip for Morgan. Lord knows she needs it."
The three of them giggled softly, then continued to look at the sea creatures. There were yellow tangs, starfish, shrimp, and even glow fish; yet, there was one set of fish that caught Isaac Schindler's eye.
"Hey, Trinity, look."
She did once she heard her name being spoken, and she was met with Isaac's grinning face as he pointed at the clownfish.
"It's you."
Both boys laughed at the look on Trinity's face, which was her mouth dropping into the lowest scowl she could muster. Without changing anything about it, she asked.
"What? Did you get that from Doctor Reid too?"
Isaac quickly stopped laughing and looked at her seriously. "No, Persephone."
Trinity nodded, then rolled her eyes before walking away from the boys and the fish. "I'm gonna look at the puppies."
Right after that, of course, the other two soon followed after her. While, momentarily, getting distracted by the other items in the store including the guinea pigs, hamsters, and birds.
Still, the three managed to make it to the back, seeing all the various dogs playing with one another.
"I wanna get a puppy for Emily." Isaac grinned, pressing himself up against the glass.
Trinity, while also hugging the glass, said. "Emily likes cats, stupid."
"She does?" He moved his eyes over to her.
"Sergio, duh."
"How would you get a puppy all the way to London anyway?" Jack looked over at his friend.
Isaac didn't meet his eyes, and just made eye contact with the floor. "I don't know."
The girl shook her head, mumbling. "Dummy."
She then felt Jack elbow her, and she winced, rubbing her arm. The girl then looked at him, hissing quietly. "What was that for?"
"You've been mean all day, what's going on?"
"None of your business, Hotchner." She sassed.
Jack furrowed his eyes at the girl. "Why…why'd you use my last name?"
"My mama says that she uses people's last names when she's angry at them." She shrugged. "Besides Derek's, it just gets confusing especially if my sisters around."
The boy only nodded, and the three went back to staring at the puppies. It was like the past feud vanished once they saw a corgi and border collie playing with each other and tumbling around the room.
Without taking her eyes off them, Trinity said. "I'd get a puppy for Doctor Reid."
Isaac drew his eyes away from the puppies and asked "Why?"
She flinched, realizing her mistake. Swallowing, she threw on a tight smile, and looked back at him. "I'd want to get a puppy for everyone on the team. Wouldn't you?"
"Yeah." He grinned.
Trinity looked over at Jack. "Would you and your daddy want a puppy?"
The boy nodded. "I would, I don't know if my daddy would."
"Does your daddy smile?" Isaac questioned his friend.
"'Course he does!" Jack defended.
"I don't think I've ever seen him do it."
"Yeah, you have."
"When?"
"The last soccer game, and he and Uncle Dave took us out to eat?"
Isaac squinted his eyes and, after a few seconds of recollection, gasped. "Oh yeah! He did!"
Jack nodded at his friend and looked back at the puppies. He didn't get to for long right after that, because he heard Trinity Douglas sigh heavily.
"I'm bored, can we go to Coldstone now?"
From what the three kids could tell, it had been at least an hour since school had ended. So, that meant it was maybe twenty or thirty minutes since they left Target?
Still, what they knew was that their stomachs felt empty as they continued to walk around the streets of D.C. with their hands intertwined to not lose one another.
"Say it," Isaac whined, dragging his feet. "we're lost."
"No, no we're not." Trinity spoke passive-aggressively.
"Really? So why aren't we there?"
"Because, if you knew anything, Washington is a big place. So, it kind of takes a long time to get anywhere on foot." She pointed out.
"Well if you knew anything, you'd know that Washington is actually a state. We live in Washington D.C." Isaac fired back.
The little girl made a face at him, and he copied it. So, the two kids were left glaring at one another, and Jack was left on the outside. That was when he forced himself in.
"Guys," he begged. "can we just keep going? We have to get there sometime."
"If she knows where she's going." Isaac taunted, without taking his eyes off Trinity.
She furrowed her eyes. "I do know! It's just…it's hard with all the turns."
The boy's face softened at her genuine tone. They were left there on the busy sidewalk, people brushing past them as they stood still looking at one another. Slowly, Jack Hotchner smiled, and squeezed Trinity's hand. The girl looked up at him, and he said.
"We could always look for a map or ask for directions."
She smiled, nodding at him. Yet, that was also when her eyes trailed to something behind him, and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. Jack and Isaac gave her a look of puzzlement, and the girl slipped her hand out of Jack's to point to what was behind him.
"Or we can climb to the tippy top and see if we can find it!"
Isaac scrunched his face up at the sight of the old building nearly towering over the other ones around it. "Maybe not climb?"
She shrugged, dropping her finger. "Fine, we'll see if it has an elevator."
"Would people even be in there?" Jack asked. "It looks like the Tower of Terror from Disneyland."
"You've never been to Disneyland." Trinity tilted her head.
Jack shrugged. "I watched videos."
The girl nodded in response and looked back at the building. "We can just peek inside, and if no one's in there, then we can look for a map."
They all smiled and Jack took Trinity's hand before the three kids began making their way to the tall building. The weather had gotten colder since they had left school, but it wasn't completely unbearable; still, they were beginning to wish they had worn mittens.
The roads were also a bit icy, but the kids only took that as an opportunity to ice skate across them when the lights turned green. Of course, as they saw the numbers beginning to count down, it turned into a sprint where they desperately tried to keep their balance.
Soon, the three were directly in front of the lofty building. Trinity Douglas was the first one to press her face up against the glass and, sure enough, there was a younger looking woman sitting at a desk, staring directly at her computer. The little girl pulled away, and looked at her companions.
"Yep, people are in there."
Jack nodded. "Do you think it's for offices?"
"How should I know?" She shrugged.
"Did you see an elevator?" Isaac then asked her.
"I'll check."
So, the girl, not so subtly, placed her face against the glass once again, and looked around. The color brown dominated the room, the furniture covered in every shade imaginable. Soon though, her eyes traveled and soon found two elevators side by side from each other down a hallway adjacent to the desk the woman was sitting at. She smirked.
"Bingo,"
Jack and Isaac looked into the room with her, and quickly met her line of vision. They smiled.
"Nice job, Trin." Isaac complimented.
The girl grinned wryly, and the three kids soon pulled away from the window. Without another thought, they walked into the building, gently shutting the door.
They soon turned and saw the young woman at the desk still completely entranced with her computer screen, and occasionally popping a piece of candy into her mouth. Quietly as they could, the kids slowly made their way over to the hallway with the elevators.
"Hey,"
As if they shared a single brain, the three kids shut their eyes tightly, then turned around and stood up straighter to look at the woman who called them out. She didn't seem to be much older than a high schooler, and she simply stared at them before continuing.
"What are you three doing here?"
Before either of the boys could say a thing, Trinity spoke up with a smile.
"We're just gonna go up to see my daddy."
The girl at the desk cocked an eyebrow at her. "What's his name?"
Trinity kept her smile up after a few moments of silence. "Daddy."
Sighing, she reached over behind herself and slid a huge binder out of some previously stacked books. She looked back at the kids and forced a smile.
"Okay, so I'm going to go through every single one of these names, and you're going to tell me which one is your daddy's. Or do you even know your last name?"
"Schindler,"
Isaac and Jack instantly looked over at her in shock. Thankfully, the woman at the desk didn't seem to notice. She only nodded.
"Alright, Schindler."
The woman placed her binder back on her desk and began flipping through the pages most likely to the 'S' section. The little girl stood on the balls of her feet to make sure the woman still kept her head down, before turning around to look at the elevators behind her.
They could make it if they went fast.
"Run,"
Jack and Isaac snapped their attention back over to the girl when they heard her whisper.
Isaac then asked. "What?"
"Run!" She whisper-yelled, and turned around, sprinting to the elevator. The boys soon ran after her, and they heard the woman at the desk yell.
"Hey, get back here!"
As fate would have it, the elevator popped open, and two men in suits exited. This caused a perfect opening for the three kids as they ran into the elevator box. Isaac quickly gathered his bearings and rushed to the buttons. Without even thinking, he hit the highest button he could reach, then began mashing the 'close' button.
The doors closed just as one of the men were about to reach into the elevator. Once they felt safe, the three felt like they could finally relax.
Trinity was leaning against the wall when she asked. "Isaac, what button did you press?"
They looked at the numbered buttons on the wall, and they saw '7' lit up.
"So," Jack began. "what do we do when we get to seven?"
The little girl rolled her eyes, and moved to the numbers, before standing on the balls of her feet to push the number '12'; the highest one. Sinking back down, she smirked.
"We just have to wait,"
"But then what?" Isaac asked. "We're in trouble with the lady at the desk!"
Trinity rolled her eyes. "Oh be quiet, we'll be fine."
"Can this thing go any faster?" Jack cut in as he saw the number above the buttons. Just as the other two looked up at it, it flashed '3'.
Isaac sighed, looking at the girl. "Why'd you use my name?"
"What?"
"When she asked for your last name, you used mine."
She shrugged. "S comes later in the ABCs."
"How'd you know she'd check by last name?"
"Because that's how miss Cunningham checks our class, remember?" She said in a smart alecky tone.
"I-,"
Just as the boy was about to answer, the lights began to flicker at a rapid pace, causing the three kids to flinch and look around themselves. Before any of them could speak, they felt the elevator shift, before it completely stopping.
None of them said anything as they looked around at each other in confusion. What had just happened?
Thinking on her feet, Trinity pushed the '2' button. It didn't light up, and nothing else happened. She hit another button, and still, nothing. She then hit another one, and another one. Unsurprisingly, the elevator stayed in place.
So, with that logic, Isaac Schindler decided to hop a little in the air.
"Don't," both Jack and Trinity looked at him.
Isaac's eyes grew in surprise, and he shrugged nonchalantly. "Sorry."
"I think it stopped." Jack stated, looking at the two younger kids.
They both wore faces filled with fear of the situation at hand. In hindsight, it was extremely ironic that Isaac had wanted to ride the elevator at school, and, when he finally had an opportunity to be in one, it stopped.
Isaac's mouth quivered slightly. "What-what do we do now?"
Jack pursed his lips. "There was always some sort of bell button in my elevator. My dad told me to press that if there was ever an emergency."
Without waiting another second, Trinity pressed the button with the bell figure, and was pleasantly surprised with an alarm only lasting for a second. They waited in silence for a few more moments, before the Schindler boy turned towards Jack.
"What happens now?"
Jack explained. "My dad said someone would come and get us."
"How long?"
"I don't know." He shrugged.
Trinity groaned, sliding down the wall. "Oh, we're gonna die in here."
Once she sat on the floor, the boys gave each other a look, before moving to sit down next to her, resting their heads against the wall.
Isaac said. "We're going to be okay. It's alright to be scared-."
"-The only reason we're here is because you're a chicken." She scowled at him.
Catching him off guard, Isaac's mouth dropped in shock, but then soon morphed into anger. "You're the one that got us here! When we get out, we're going to jail!"
"Says who?"
"We did a bad thing, so we're bad guys. Bad guys go to jail."
She rolled her eyes. "You're not just a chicken, you're a dummy if you really think that."
"Trinity!" Jack called her out, a hint of surprise in his voice.
For a moment, a flash of pain was seen in Isaac's eyes, until he quickly replaced it with anger. "Says the girl who only got three questions right on a math test."
Jack Hotchner turned to Isaac. "Hey-,"
"Says the stupid boy who's only gotten four questions right in all of science!" The only girl fired back at him, causing Isaac to respond.
"That's not true!"
"Oh right, I forgot, only two."
The boy was fuming now. "Well…you're just a cry baby!"
"I'm the cry baby?"
"Yeah!"
Trinity glared at him. "I'm the cry baby?"
"Are you stupid? Yes!" He yelled at her.
"I bet you cried more than anyone else when Doctor Reid's girlfriend died!"
The moment the last word left her lips, the small girl gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. In her eyes, a look of shock overtook them. Jack only crossed his arms, staring down at his lap.
Isaac Schindler sat completely still, trying to make heads or tails of what he had just heard. Then, with trembling lips, he asked.
"He-he had a girlfriend?"
She only nodded.
"And…and…she died?"
Trinity removed her hands from her mouth, and she asked gently. "You didn't know?"
The boy shook his head, and he looked at the ground. One by one, tears began to fall onto his cheeks, and he brought his hands up to his eyes, sobbing. Immediately, the girl hooked her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Isaac didn't hesitate to return the embrace, hiccupping as he cried and leaned into her shoulder.
Jack swallowed, looking up at the two, and he saw nothing but regret and guilt in Trinity Douglas' eyes.
After what was most likely a few minutes, Isaac spoke up through his tears.
"How'd you know?"
"Remember that time I wasn't at school and didn't come until lunch time?" She asked, leaning her head onto his. Trinity felt him nod, and she continued. "Derek came over when Rebecca, Morgan, and I were sleeping. They told me to go back to bed when they went to see what was going on, but I peeked through the door. He was hugging my mama really tight, and I think he was crying."
The girl stopped momentarily when she felt Jack move from her other side and watched him stand up to walk over to Isaac, sitting next to him. The older boy then leaned against his friend, hugging him as well. This only caused Isaac to close his eyes, and whimper. Trinity reluctantly went on.
"He was there when we had breakfast. I don't know how because he lives kinda far away, but he was there. After we ate, he had me and Rebecca and Morgan sit down, and told us that Doctor Reid's girlfriend passted away."
She felt Isaac squeeze her tighter; she held him as she continued.
"I can't remember a lot, but I know that we all made cards for him; mine was the prettiest. And we didn't have to go to school until lunch time, so I liked that."
The three were left in silence for a few moments; even Isaac's crying had quieted as she told her story. Then, a whisper was heard between Trinity and Jack.
"I remember Laurie was sad a few days after that." He said softly. "She was talking on the phone with Auntie JJ I think? And then she hung up and started walking around the room while calling my mommy."
Neither Jack nor Trinity said anything after his statement. Then, the small girl felt him stiffen as she hugged him, and he pulled away, sitting up straighter as he stared at the wall in front of him; his eyes all wide.
"What?" She questioned. His face dropped, and, just like that, he began crying once again, shaking his head.
"I'm not stupid, I'm not stupid, I'm not stupid…"
He kept repeating those words to himself, each time becoming angrier. The other two shared a look of concern with each other, before Jack Hothcner stepped in.
"Isaac, what's-?"
"-I'm not stupid!" He whipped his head around to look at him.
Jack and Trinity flinched at his tone. It was an odd mix of fury and despair, but his face read nothing but anger. When Isaac saw his friends' reaction, his expression dropped, and he brought his legs up to his chest, rocking himself.
"I'm sorry."
The Hotchner boy leaned against the wall, still sitting down. "It's okay."
"They think I'm dumb."
Both Trinity and Jack looked at each other, completely taken aback. Still, it was the eldest to ask him once again.
"Who?"
"Mommy, Laurie, and Spencer." He whimpered. "Per-Persephone told me that-that they were going to his apartment to visit him, but-but I didn't know why I couldn't go with them." Isaac buried his face into his knees. "They think I'm too stupid."
Jack shook his head, draping his arm over Isaac's shoulder. "No, no. They don't."
"How do you know?" he grumbled.
"Because you're not stupid."
The small boy clutched the seams of his pants and stopped rocking. Isaac said and did nothing else, besides hiding his face from his friends. Jack swallowed, taking a deep breath before going on.
"Isaac, you're not, okay? You got to be in the spelling bee last year, and I never got close to that. You're really smart and-."
"-I know I'm not as smart as any of them!" He snapped his head up and yelled at Jack, then turned to look at Trinity. "I know they all think I'm stupid, and that's why they didn't bring me with them!"
As soon as he finished, the girl stood up onto her feet, and glared at him. "Isaac stop-!"
"-You!" He jumped up onto his feet, still yelling. "You've been calling me stupid all day!"
"I didn't mean it!" She defended. "I was just joking."
"It didn't sound like you were." He shook his head.
"Well, I was."
"You know what? You're the dummy for thinking it was funny." He scowled.
Her jaw dropped. "I never said it was funny!"
"But you said you were joking!"
"It doesn't always mean it's funny!"
"Yes, it does!"
"No, it doesn't!"
"Yes, it does!"
"No, it-!"
"Shut up!"
Trinity and Isaac gasped when they heard Jack Hotchner himself shouting a phrase forbidden amongst children their age. The first graders covered their ears, staring right at the boy. With fury in his eyes, Jack looked at Trinity.
"What is wrong with you?!"
Her lip quivered, and the small girl was speechless.
"You've been nothing but mean all day!" He yelled, then swallowed; his voice dropping. "You're not like the real Trinny, I don't know what's going on."
The girl only shook her head before turning away and crossing her arms. Jack bit his lip.
"What happened?"
Taking a deep breath, the girl said something under her breath. Jack Hotchner made a face.
"What?'
She spoke up louder. "Luna told me that her mommy told her that I was an accident, and that's why my daddy left."
Jack didn't say anything at first, his brain still comprehending how exactly anyone could say something like that. His mouth was quicker than his mind, though.
"But, he's still alive. My-my mommy's dead, and so is Isaac's dad-."
"-at least his daddy wanted him!" Trinity screamed, turning around to point at Isaac. Then, she set her hand down and got in Jack's face. "At least your daddy still wants you!"
The boys were shocked into silence at her outburst. Soon, her yelling turned into weeping, and she forced herself to continue.
"He-he never wanted me. I didn't do anything mean to him, and he still didn't want me." She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself.
Both Isaac and Jack felt tears loosely falling onto their cheeks as she sobbed, her crying dwindling, but still very apparent. Soon, the girl's body began to shake as she tried to repress her tears. This only resulted in her breathing even more heavily.
That was when Isaac Schindler gently wrapped his arms around her side, resting his chin on her shoulder. To all their surprise, Trinity hugged him back, still quietly sobbing.
Hesitantly, Jack approached the girl, standing right in front of her. Trinity opened her eyes when she felt him near and looked at him. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't. The tears were rushing down his cheeks quickly now, and he slowly sat on the floor, sitting against the wall.
Just as soon as he did, both Isaac and Trinity followed. With Trinity sitting in the middle of the two boys; they were back where they started, but now with runny noses and bloodshot eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Isaac and Trinity looked over at Jack when they heard him whisper those words. Without a falter, the girl leaned her head on his shoulder, a sign of forgiveness.
"Why'd Luna say that?" She asked, her voice hoarse.
She hadn't asked either of them specifically; she asked it more to herself, or like a question to the universe. Still, Isaac Schindler decided to answer.
"Well, Luna peed her pants during the Christmas program." He shrugged. "So, she's stupid."
The three kids laughed softly together, sitting shoulder to shoulder. Rubbing her eyes, Trinity yawned and looked up at the oldest boy.
"Jack? Are we still friends?"
He glanced down at her, smiling. Then, he slid his arm around to Isaac's shoulder, and nodded. "Yeah."
"Isaac, I'm sorry I called you stupid. You really aren't." She admitted, drowsily.
The Schindler boy grinned, his face still wet from tears, and said softly. "Thank you."
"I mean it," she spoke up louder. "I was the first one to get out when trying for the spelling bee."
"No, you weren't." Isaac shook his head.
She scrunched her eyebrows. "Really? Who then?"
He smirked, looking at her. "Luna."
Trinity's mouth dropped into an open smile. "No."
"Oh yeah."
Jack chuckled. "You're kidding."
"Nuh uh." He shook his head.
Soon, the kids were a cackling mess. They let go of one another, and fell onto the elevator floor, laughing wholeheartedly. It was almost as if they had forgotten where they were, why they were there, or that they had been screaming at each other at the top of their lungs only moments ago.
They were soon snapped back to reality the moment they heard and felt a slight shift in the elevator. Springing up from the ground, the kids looked right at the doors, and saw them being pulled apart.
Then, they were met with the greeting faces of a few workmen standing on leveled ground. The one, who presumably prodded the doors open, smiled.
"You kids ready to get out?"
Neither Trinity, Isaac, nor Jack got ice cream that day. They didn't get to go to Beth's apartment and watch The Avengers either. But, the lady at the desk did let them eat M&Ms from a jar while they sat in the lobby, waiting for their parents to pick them up after the lady at the desk called them.
Mary and Persephone Schindler were the first ones to arrive.
Of course, much as to be expected, the mother and sister were beyond furious with the boy when they walked in through the doors. Yet, it wasn't long before their anger turned into relief as they hugged him.
Trinity Douglas still decided she needed to step up and say that it was her idea for all three of them to run away.
After they acknowledged her, the Schindlers left and Beth Clemmons soon followed.
To their surprise, she was more concerned with them leaving. What shocked Trinity even more, was the woman picking her up hugging her after she did it to Jack. Then, Beth stayed with the little girl until her mother came.
Shannon Douglas simply entered the building, took her daughter into her arms, thanked Beth for looking after her, left the old building, and got into her car.
And she cried.
The mother cried as she held Trinity close to her chest, kissing her on the head and cheek several times. The small girl embraced her mother tightly, feeling herself beginning to cry too. After a few more minutes, Shannon put her daughter into her car seat, and drove home.
A long talk was in order that night.
"'What does the doctor say, child?!'"
"Okay," Morgan sighed. "you can't read it like it's the end of the world."
Rebecca leaned her head over the arm of the couch. "Oh come on! It's called drama for a reason."
"What?"
"This artsy stuff," she sat up, reading the script. "it's called 'Drama', so you have to create a flair of dramaticness!"
It had been a few days since the three kids had run away from the Target to go out on their own adventure for nearly an hour. Needless to say, Trinity was grounded for a full week. Meaning the girl only went to school, or to run errands with her mother when needed; no playdates, no trips to the park, or the movie theater.
"That's not even a word." Morgan made a face at her sister.
"Oh," Rebecca reached for her phone on the coffee table. "I didn't know you were an expert on English."
Morgan chuckled, rolling her eyes and grabbing her script from her sister, deciding to memorize her lines on her own.
"So, how does Susanna what's-her-name compare to the flapper dancer and fairy?" Rebecca asked, eyes still glued to her phone.
Yes, Morgan Douglas managed to be in The Addams Family Musical for the fall musical, but sadly not as Wednesday; just ensemble, but at least she had been with her boyfriend. Becca already knew about her being Peaseblossom in A Midsummer's Night Dream her freshman year. Unfortunately though, Morgan wasn't cast in her school's winter one act. Yet, here she was as Susanna Walcott in The Crucible.
She grinned. "I work for a doctor, I'm friends with Abigail Williams, and I accuse a lot of people of witchcraft."
Rebecca nodded. "Okay, so you work alongside someone more successful than you, you're only friends with the main character but never one yourself, and you talk shit about people. It's perfect."
Her older sister laughed. "Damn, you really trying to be a profiler, huh?"
"Is it working?" She smirked.
"I don't know," she shrugged, turning the page. "ask Derek. Who are you texting anyway?"
The younger sister scoffed. "Damn, mom. It's just my friend Skye."
"Oooo," she teased. "girl or boy?"
Rebecca rolled her eyes. "I don't know. I was thinking about hanging out with her this weekend though."
Morgan laughed, shaking her head. A few minutes after the girls' exchange, they heard a few knocks on the door. Looking at one another, Morgan was the first one to get up from the couch and walk towards the door. Looking through the peephole, Morgan's lips morphed into a smile and she opened the door.
"Hey, loser." She greeted.
Derek Morgan chuckled, shaking his head. "What's up, my girl?"
The two hugged one another for a few seconds before pulling away. Derek walked into the apartment, and that was when Rebecca finally looked up from her phone and smiled.
"I didn't know it was meathead day, what brings you here?"
"Wow, I show up for a few seconds, and I'm getting attacked by two teenagers." He said sarcastically.
Rebecca shrugged. "Don't make it so easy then, mister FBI hotshot."
Derek ruffled her hair, and she immediately picked up a pillow and hit his hand. The man drew it away, and the two of them chuckled.
"Dang, Angel. No need to get violent."
The girl puckered her lips. "Oh, I'm sorry. Who said that, if he had a little girl, he'd be okay with her hitting someone back if he or she kept hitting them?"
He shrugged. "Good point, but I wasn't hitting you."
"Good point, but I hit you with a pillow because I'm quirky." She tried to stop her laughter but failed miserably.
Morgan shook her head. "Ignore her."
Derek just continued to smile, then asked. "Did your mom tell you that I'd be here?"
The two girls nodded, and Morgan walked over to the kitchen area, and opened a cabinet. "Trinity's in her room, by the way. Have fun, she's moody."
He nodded, tucking his hands into his coat pockets. "I'll keep that in mind."
So, there he went down the small hallway, standing right in front of the door to the room all three sisters shared. Knocking on it, he waited for a response. Boy, did he sure get one.
"What do you want?!" Trinity whined loudly from the other side.
Biting the inside of his lip, Morgan said. "Can I come in?"
There was a beat of silence after he asked, and just as he was about to speak again, he heard her utter.
"Okay."
He did, gently opening the door and walking in. The red line was still in the center of the room, separating Rebecca and Trinity's bunk beds from Morgan's single bed. Of course, there were clothes scattered on the floor, and the one desk in the room was filled to the brim with papers, books, nick knacks, etc.
On the top bunk, he saw a small lump hidden under the blankets. Grinning, he said.
"Oh boy, I wonder where little Trinity is?"
Playing with her, he opened the closet door across from the beds, then shut it, shaking his head.
"No, she's not in there."
To his surprise, he heard light shuffling from behind him, and he turned to see Trinity Douglas sitting up in her bed. He grinned, walking towards her.
"There she is."
When he was standing right next to the ladder, she shrunk into her bed, holding her blankets up to hide herself just a little. Derek's smile dropped into a mix of confusion and concern.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Are you gonna put me in jail?" She asked quietly.
He chuckled, shaking his head at her question. "No, no baby. Why would I do that?"
She pursed her lips. "Isaac said bad people go to jail, and I did a bad thing, and you put people in jail-."
"Hey," he said gently, tilting his head to the side. "I'm not going to put you in jail. Okay, sweet pea? I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to go on a walk with me?"
Little Trinity shook her head, sadly. "Mama says I'm grounded until next Sunday. That's a long ways away."
He nodded. "I know, it is. But I asked her, and she said it would be okay just as long as it's okay with you."
The moment he said that, the girl held her arms out to him. "I want down."
Derek smiled, taking the girl in his arms and gently setting her down on the ground. Like a bat out of hell, she ran out of her bedroom, and into the small living room area to pull her boots on.
"Have fun." Morgan said simply as she was sitting on the couch with her Geometry notebook and textbook.
"You don't even know what we're doing." Trinity sassed back at her, slipping on her final boot before springing up and taking her coat off a chair.
Rebecca was laying down on her stomach with her phone in her hands, and her feet swinging back and forth. "Wow, I wish I had life changing talks with Derek wheneverI got in trouble."
"You don't get in trouble, Angel." Derek pointed out, helping Trinity put on her jacket.
"Okay Derek," Morgan peeked her head up from her homework. "you saying I'm an unsub now?"
Before he could respond, Rebecca laughed. "You're the world's crappiest unsub then."
Derek chuckled, shaking his head as he reached down for Trinity's hand. Just as the two of them were leaving, he looked back at the sisters.
"Be nice to each other." He teased before shutting the door.
The weather outside was a hint warmer than the previous day had been, but nothing too monumental. It was still cold enough for people, even adults, to wear their winter coats and to carry a warm drink in their gloved hand.
Derek Morgan and Trinity Douglas had been walking around for about ten minutes at that point. He'd asked her about school, and she had told him about her upcoming spelling test. So, here they were now, in a nearby park.
"B-O-Y."
"That's good!" Derek praised. "Okay, can you spell 'dry'?"
"Easy. D-R-I."
He shook his head. "Really close; 'y' is the last letter, not 'I'."
"What?!" She gasped.
"I know," he nodded. "it's really weird."
"'Y' makes the 'yuh' sound though? That's dumb." She pouted.
Derek chuckled. "Yeah, it can be sometimes. Hey, Trin, are your feet getting tired?"
She proudly shook her head. "Nope! I feel like I could run forever."
"Is that so?" He rose one eyebrow. "Well, my feet are starting to get tired, so is it okay if we go sit down over there?"
Trinity followed his finger to where he was pointing to, and it was a park bench just a few meters away from them. Shrugging, the small girl, still holding his hand, tugged him over to the bench as quickly as possible.
When the two were sitting down, side by side, the smile on Derek's face dropped a little, turning serious. Once the six-year-old saw it, her own smile disappeared, and she mirrored his expression.
"Trinity, I need to talk to you about a few things, okay?"
She looked down at her hanging legs as she was sitting. "You said you weren't taking me to jail."
Derek shook his head. "And I'm not. I'm also not going to punish you in any way, I just want to talk. Okay?"
The little girl swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded. "Okay."
He nodded back, still looking at her. Of course, as soon as she had agreed, he planned on to continue talking. Yet, something was keeping him silent. After a few seconds, he scoffed at himself, chuckling.
"Baby, you have no idea how much you scared me."
Trinity looked up at him, the frown still apparent on her face. He continued.
"When your mama called me saying that you were gone…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "I think it was pure luck that it was only a few minutes later that she called back to tell me that someone called her and said that they'd found you. Because both Hotch and I were ready to step out the door and go to the airport."
The little girl blinked back tears, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her. "I'm sorry."
Derek placed his hand on the girl's shoulder comfortingly. "Trinity, why did you and the boys leave Beth? I know you said it was because you were bored, but I know there's more."
Trinity's lip quivered, and she shut her eyes, shaking her head vigorously.
"You don't want to tell me?"
"I-I-I don't know." She cried.
He nodded. "Okay, but I can tell you're sad about something. Do you wanna tell me that?"
"Yeah." She sobbed, nodding her head as loose tears started falling.
Derek moved his hand to the side of her face, drying her tears. "Okay, sweet pea. I'm listening."
Trinity swallowed, her breath hitching every time she tried to speak. Soon, she found her voice as she asked.
"Will…will Doctor Reid be okay?"
The man stared at her with sad eyes. Taking a deep breath, he opened his arms and said softly. "Come here."
So, she did. When Derek wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head against his chest, that was when the waterworks really flooded. At first, it was a few stray tears, now she was full-on bawling. She felt safe.
He moved some hair behind her ear. "He's in a tough spot, baby. There's not a doubt in my mind that he can get out of it, but it's hard to. I've been there before, and it took me awhile to get out, but I did eventually. And it's different for everyone."
Derek stopped talking once he heard the child in his arms mumble something. Looking down at her, he hummed in questioning.
"Were you crying when you came to our apartment?" She asked quietly, still holding onto him.
The man nodded, resting his chin on top of her head and holding her closer. "I was, sweet pea. I was."
"Why?"
He sighed, absolutely dreading the fact he had to talk about this to a little girl. "It was hard for all of us, because we all care about Reid so much. He wanted to be alone after it happened, and I didn't." He admitted, and he pulled away slightly to have her look at him. "So, I went to one of the only places I felt safe with others."
For the first time since they sat down, she smiled. "Home."
"Yeah," he nodded, smiling a little. "home."
Then, just like that, it dropped from her face, and she said. "I knew boys could cry, but I didn't think you could."
He nodded, completely understanding. "I get that sometimes."
Trinity rested her head on his arm. "You should cry more."
Derek chuckled, but there was still an obvious lace of sadness to it. "Maybe I should, sweet pea."
She nodded, then went into a story she had remembered. "When me, Jack, and Isaac were stuck in the elevator, we talked a lot."
The man tilted his head slightly, urging her to go on. "Did you now?"
Trinity nodded once again. "Yeah. I was stupid and told him that Doctor Reid's girlfriend died, and he started crying. Umm…"
Derek ran a hand through her hair. "What is it?"
"Yesterday, I-Isaac asked me if I knew how she died, and-and I said I did, but I didn't tell him. That's okay, right?"
He instantly nodded his head up and down. "Yeah, yeah that was the right thing to do. Trinity, I'm not even sure if I should've told you or your sisters."
"You should've."
"You're okay right? Do you have any questions?"
She scrunched her nose up in confusion. "You asked me that after telling us."
"I know," he swallowed. "I just wanted to ask again to make sure."
Trinity nodded, her head resting on the bench, and savoring the cold feeling on her skin. It's a fact that kids' minds travel fast, so, there was no wonder at all why she tensed up at a certain memory of days before.
"Derek?" She questioned softly.
"Yeah?"
The girl rubbed her nose which was beginning to run from the cold. Sniffling, she began. "This girl in my class, Luna, she-she said that her mommy called me an accident. I-I know it's why my daddy left, but what does it really mean?"
Derek's eyes grew. To be honest, if time was on his side, he would have sat in the bitter silence after her question to process it.
But, it wasn't.
"Baby…" was the only thing he could muster to say at the time.
Trinity didn't bother hiding the tears that fell as she continued. "I hated Jack when I told him. He-he didn't mean to, but he made me so-so mad. His daddy always wanted him." Her voice choked at the end, and her breath hitched several times as she tried to calm down. Nevertheless, she forced herself to go on. "I-I was just a baby, and-and that's why he didn't want me!"
She cried loudly, quickly hiding her face in his chest, and holding onto him like he was the only thing keeping her tethered to the earth. Derek responded not a second later, returning the embrace. He shushed her, shaking his head.
"Sweetie, no…no. No, you can't think like that." He shook his head.
The small girl continued to sob, gripping him tighter. "And-and I-I know you hate me, be-because I was mean to-to Isaac and to Jack, and-and I never should've…I never should've-!"
Her words were lost in her crying and she pressed her face against his shirt; completely drenching it in her tears. After hearing her speak, Derek almost froze.
She…she thought he hated her?
"Trinity." he whispered, pulling away only slightly to take her face into his hands. It was completely red from the cold, and from crying. Her cheeks were splashed with both new and dry tears, and snot was running out from her nose.
Bunching up the sleeve of his shirt, Derek wiped under her nose until it was dry. Rubbing it on his jeans, he brought his hand out, and moved it back to the other side of her face, forcing her to look up at him. Swallowing, he began again.
"Trinity, I've lived through my worst nightmare…but I would do it all again if it meant protecting you, your sisters, or your mama. Understand?"
She looked up at him, seeing nothing but a perfect combination of seriousness and love in his eyes. Leaning into his hands, she nodded.
"Yeah…Derek?"
"Yeah, sweet pea?"
"Will Doctor Reid ever do magic tricks again?"
He smiled at her question, taking his hands away from her face, draping one around her shoulder as she leaned into him. "I think it might take a while, but I know he will someday. Hey, you wanna know what me and some other friends did for him this morning?"
"What?"
"You know Isaac's mommy and sister?"
She nodded, huddling closer to him for warmth. He smiled.
"They cleaned his apartment up a little, but it was still kinda messy. So, he asked if me, JJ, and Garcia could help him finish up."
A tiny grin managed to pull onto her lips. "Did you?"
"Yeah, sweet pea." He nodded. "Yeah we did."
The two sat there on the bench, both content with the wind blowing through the air and voices of people passing by them being the only sounds. After perhaps one more minute of this, Derek looked down at the girl.
"Okay, how about we head home?"
He let go of her and stood up on his feet, staring at her expectantly.
Instead, she asked. "Can we get ice cream 'cause I didn't get any with Isaac and Jack?"
"Sorry, baby," he shook his head. "not today."
To his surprise, she nodded in understanding, then asked. "Is Jack's daddy mad at me?"
Instantly, Derek shook his head. "No."
"Is he mad at Jack?"
"No, just disappointed."
"But you said when your mama was ever disappointed in you, she really-."
"-He's mad at what happened," Derek interrupted her. "not at you, or Jack, or Beth, or anyone else."
Still, the little girl looked hesitant. "You sure?"
He nodded. "I'm sure, sweet pea."
"Will he let me play with Jack ever again?"
"Jack's on the same boat as you right now, so you'll get to play with each other sometime."
Finally, Trinity smiled wide. Then, the small child stuck her arms out, reaching towards him. "Up."
A snarky retort played on the man's lips, but he held it back with a smile, and instead, picked her up into his arms. She moved her head into the crook of his neck, and sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck.
As Derek walked through the busy streets easing up as they were nearing the Douglas' apartment, he heard the little girl in his arms.
"Derek?"
The man, without steadying his pace, asked. "Yeah?"
"I love you."
If her words alone didn't stun him, it was her kissing his cheek softly and nestling herself back into the crook of his neck that did it. After being caught off guard for a few more moments, he kissed the side of her head, and pulled her closer to him, whispering.
"I love you too, sweet pea."
"Only a child sees things with perfect clarity, because it hasn't developed all those filters which prevent us from seeing things we don't expect to see."
-Douglas Adams