Chapter Ten: Patience is a Virtue
It has been Garcia who had suggested that the team have a weekend at Rossi's. After the recent events had taken their toll on the profilers she thought it would be good to take some time to relax and have fun. The suggestion had been met with eagerness and excitement. Rossi faux irritation at his home (mansion) being automatically selected at the venue but he wasn't fooling anyone. He had to admit that having a weekend with the team and spending time with his bambinos was definitely how we wanted to spend his weekend.
Persephone was the first to arrive. She brought with her bread that she had freshly baked the previous night and rang the doorbell apprehensively. It wasn't long before the door opened and a large dog shot out, nearly knocking her to the floor and assaulting her with licks. To say that she was surprised would have been an understatement. The Brit barely managed to keep the bread from falling onto the floor or into the rambunctious dog's mouth.
"Mudgie heal!" Rossi ordered and the black Labrador immediately sat at his owner's feet. Rossi patted the dog's head and offered Persephone a sheepish smile.
"Sorry about that Ambrose. He's just excited to meet you." Rossi apologised.
"No harm done." Persephone waved off the apology before she handed the loaf of bread to Rossi. He took it, giving it a look of approval before opening the door wider so that Persephone could enter. Mudgie followed the two of them into the house still excited but less wild than before.
Not being able to resist the friendly dog, Persephone gave Mudgie the attention had been craving. Once she had received the approval from Rossi she gave him a belly rub (the dog of course, not Rossi).
"You have a lovely home." Persephone commented casting a glance around the open planned reception room. It was quite clear why Rossi's house was the default home of choice for these occasions.
"Thank you, Ambrose. Why don't you follow me into the kitchen, and we can start setting a few things up?" Rossi suggested.
Excited to see what Rossi's kitchen looked like, Persephone agreed enthusiastically. She knew that Rossi shared her passion for cooking and so it was likely the kitchen would be the focal point in his home. The Italian proved the stereotype about Italian cooks as much as Persephone tried to disprove the one about British food. Persephone was excited to see his favourite room in the house so eagerly followed him.
She was not disappointed. The kitchen was large and bright. It was modern but still had splashes of antique. Persephone was quite sure that there wouldn't be many appliances or at least if Rossi owned them they would be hidden away in cupboards and used once in a blue moon. He was felt as though the old ways and methods were the best. He believed that knives could do the job better than a food processor. After all, when his Nonna had taught him to cook as a young boy he didn't have those 'mod-cons and he didn't need them now.
"What do you think?" Rossi asked as he unpacked a bag of groceries.
"I think that this kitchen perfectly portrays your personality."
"Is that your way of saying I'm old?" Rossi asked.
She was literally saved by the bell. The doorbell. It was Hotch, Jack, JJ, Will and Henry. The two kids raced indoors and after seeing Persephone, squealed with delight. After listening to them talk a mile a minute about what had gone on in school that week, Rossi rescued her by suggesting that boys take a look outside. Persephone promised that she would join them in a bit before she turned to the new face.
"Sorry about that." The man apologised in his gruff, south drawl.
"No need to apologise. Kids will be kids." Persephone apologised. She deliberately left out the phrase 'boys will be boys' due to the sexist implication it had behind. She had met several boisterous children over the years, and they were a mixture of genders. The phrase 'kids will be kids' was far more accurate.
"I gather you are the famous Persephone Ambrose I've heard so much about. I'm Will. JJ's husband." Will greeted.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr LaMontagne."
"Oh, please call me Will." He offered. "I heard a lot about you. My boy is a very big fan of yours."
"Well, he's a good kid. They both are. I like playing with the two of them. If either of you needs a babysitter don't hesitate to give me a bell." Persephone replied. She hoped that they'd trust her enough to look after their children. She would understand if they didn't though. It was one thing to trust someone with your own life, it was quite another to trust them with your child's life.
"We might just take you up on that." JJ admitted.
"Same here Ambrose, thank you."
They were interrupted by the entrance of Morgan, Reid, Prentiss, and Garcia.
"Hey, are we really the last ones to arrive?" Prentiss asked handing Rossi a bottle of red wine. Morgan had a bottle of white wine. Reid was carrying some fizzy drinks and Garcia came with some muffins.
"I told you we should have taken route 42." Reid taunted. Morgan shook his head and decided to show a rare moment of maturity and ignore the comment.
"Someone has to be last." Rossi reminded them.
"So, what are you cooking for us today Rossi?" Morgan asked.
"You mean what are we cooking. I'm not doing it all myself. We're going to do it together." Rossi declared.
"Together?" Morgan, whose cooking skills were limited to toast, questioned hesitantly. He really wasn't that eager to get in the kitchen.
"Oh, come on! It'll be fun." Garcia encouraged. Morgan opened his mouth to object, but he hadn't got that far.
That was the minute that Jack and Henry decided to re-enter the room. Apparently, they felt that they had been waiting far too long for Persephone to join them. That was to be expected. Children were not exactly known for their patience. They were holding super-soakers and they would have drenched the whole BAU family had they not noticed that their favourite uncle had arrived.
"Uncle Spencer!" They both yelled and barrelled down the corridor and into Reid's open arms.
"I hope you two weren't going to soak us with those water guns." Reid told them after hugging the two boys.
"No. Of course not!" Jack denied innocently.
"Good. Because you know boys, that paybacks are a bi-"
"Morgan!" Interrupted Persephone just in time. She received some grateful looks from the parents in the room while Morgan received scolding ones.
"Don't play with those with indoors boys. Take them outside please, we don't want everything in here to be wet." Rossi requested. Jack sighed dejectedly. He looked like he was about to ignore the request but one look at his father's face made him re-evaluate the situation.
The boys gave each other a look before they raced outside. Hotch was glad that Jack had agreed to go outside. Like any child his excitement often caused him to forget all presence of common sense. Henry often followed where Jack led so they would have a very wet room had the two decided to engage in a water gun battle right there and then.
Henry and Jack were quickly followed by the rest of the team. It was a sunny day and the hot temperature resulted in the perfect climate for a water fight. What followed was the greatest super-soaker war in the history of super-soaker wars. Of course, everybody got terribly wet but the infectious laughter that filled the back yard was worth it. Their clothes could be washed and dried they had brought their go-bags after all. They were having blast and if that meant that they were going to be soaking wet for a while, well that was a sacrifice they were all prepared to make.
After they were finished the team split up and went to their various rooms in order to get changed. They congregated in the front room and played a few board games so that the boys had time to calm down before they began to get dinner ready.
"Can we help make the dinner?" Jack asked.
"Of course, you can bambino." Rossi asked. He was always eager to encourage a love for cooking. Jack was getting to the age where he wanted to help with everything and be independent. He had no qualms about allowing children a little independence. That was how they learnt.
"I want to chop the vegetables!" Jack declared. He had seen someone chopping vegetables on the TV and he wanted to give it a shot. He thought he would be very good at it, He was Jack Hotchner after all.
"I don't know about that buddy." Hotch replied. Cutting with a normal knife was one thing but he wasn't certain that letting his six-year-old use a kitchen knife was a good idea.
"I have some smaller knives that aren't too sharp." Rossi suggested.
"You know, there are many child development theories that suggest that helping children manage risk is important. Approaches such as the Montessori and Forest schools allow children to develop these skills through exploration." Reid explained.
"I could watch him and teach him how to hold a knife properly." Persephone offered. She had some experience with teaching children to handle knives safely.
"All right." Hotch agreed. "You need to listen to what Persephone tells you and to the rules she sets out."
"OK, Daddy." Jack agreed as he jumped up from his place near the coffee table.
"Slow your roll bambino." Rossi chuckled.
After a few more games, JJ put Henry down for a nap before she joined the rest of the team in the kitchen. They were going to have Spaghetti Bolognese with homemade garlic bread. Persephone helped Jack chop up some vegetables, guiding his technique and ensuring he listened to the safety rules.
"This is not a toy Jack; it is a tool. We have been safe and careful when using it or we won't be able to use it all." Persephone instructed.
Jack listened intently and mirrored Persephone's movements.
"Do you know the safety rules of scissors Jack?" Persephone asked.
"You can't run with scissors." Jack replied seriously. He nodded to himself, clearly having heard that rule several times before. It seemed like one of those rules that everyone learnt and that no one broke even if they knew it was perfectly safe.
"That's right Jack. It's the same with knives. You can't run with them and they have to stay in the kitchen. Also, you can't touch them unless an adult is watching you all right?"
"Yes, Persephone." Jack responded.
Persephone smiled at the boy and resumed instructing him how to cut the garlic.
"That's it Jack, good claw technique. Make sure you cut away from your body. That's another important rule. Well done Jack!" Persephone praised.
The proud smile on Jack's face made Hotch glad he made the decision to let Jack cut up the vegetables. The chunks of garlic and tomato were a little clumsy, but it didn't matter. He sometimes struggled to put enough strength into the chopping motion, but Persephone gave him some help when he needed it.
"Look, dad! I'm cutting vegetables!" Jack yelled excitedly.
"I see that Jack. You're doing a good job buddy." Hotch agreed.
"He certainly is! He's a natural." Persephone added as the two of them finished chopping the last of the vegetables.
While they were chopping the vegetables the rest of the team helped prepare the pasta. Then they fried the pancetta.
"Can I try a bit?" Jack asked licking his lips as he smelt it frying.
"That's a good idea bambino. You should always try the food you cook. Here. Everyone take a bit." Rossi offered the pan to everyone and waited for them all to take a piece of the delicious meat.
"Mmm. Crispy." Jack commented.
They then set to work creating the sauce. Jack beamed proudly as the vegetables were added to the pan. Rossi thanked him and Persephone and the team gave Jack a small round of applause in order to encourage him. While the sauce was cooking, Jack and Persephone set to work making the garlic bread. Persephone cut the bread into slices as the bread knife was too big for Jack to use.
"Did you make the bread, or did you get it from the store?" Jack asked with interest.
"I made it myself." Persephone answered.
"Can I make some bread sometime?" Jack asked
"Sure. Maybe you and Henry can help me make some bread tomorrow?" Persephone asked knowing that it would be a very good activity that both children could take part in. They had the whole weekend and they could eat the bread as part of tomorrow's dinner.
"Yeah!" Jack approved.
"I see you are amenable." Persephone commented.
"I'm not mean!" Jack protested.
"No, Jack, not mean. You are amenable. It means that you are willing." Persephone corrected eager to help expand the boy's vocabulary."
Jack whispered the word under his breath. Hotch chuckled. No doubt his son would be using that word whenever possible. That wasn't a bad thing though. He would never turn down a chance to help expand his vocabulary (providing that they weren't the four-letter type).
Persephone took the baking tray and popped it into the oven. It wouldn't take long for it to cook and then they could eat. With the majority of the prep done, JJ went go and get Henry up. Jack helped Garcia make the salad and then went to set the table. He was bouncing up and down, getting really excited for the garlic bread to be cooked.
"Jack, buddy, go wash before dinner please." Hotch ordered softly. He could tell that his son was getting over-excited and hopefully, by distracting him they could avoid a catastrophe. The kind of catastrophe that resulted in a child ending up in the ER on a Saturday evening.
"But I want help!" Jack wined.
"You have helped bud but it's going to be dinner soon. I need you to wash up so that we can eat and see what a good job you've done." Hotch replied trying to get his son to agree without resorting to raising his voice. Thankfully it worked.
"OK, Daddy."
By the time Jack and Henty returned, it was time to eat. The BAU family sat around the table and tucked in. Persephone observed them and smiled softly. She watched as Morgan and Reid teased each other. She listened to JJ laugh at the amount of parmesan cheese Jack was sprinkling on his plate. She joined in the low hum of conversation and joined sides over little arguments. She realised that she was beginning to get closer to the team. She didn't know how she felt about that.
Jack was extremely proud of himself for helping out with the dinner. He decided that he really enjoyed cooking and made his dad promise that he would let Jack cook more at home. Hotch readily agreed, providing that he listened to whoever was watching him and that he never tried to cook alone.
That evening, when the children were in bed, the adults hug outside. A fire pit was crackling and hissing satisfyingly. The boys had wanted to stay up, but it was getting late and if they stayed up any longer they would be grouchy in the morning.
"Jack really enjoyed cooking and helping out today." Hotch reported.
"Well, we enjoyed having him help us." Persephone admitted.
"Yeah, and bambino was really good at it too. He listened to what we were saying, and he was very eager to join in." Rossi added.
Hotch nodded. The truth was Jack had been doing a lot lately. It didn't concern Hotch. The behaviour was normal, and he had to admit it was nice having Jack help him and join in on activities. It seemed Jack was growing up so fast and it felt like it wouldn't be long before Jack wouldn't want to hang around with him.
"He was very proud of himself. I love that smile on his face." Hotch admitted. It had been a while since he'd seen his son like that. Hotch was still researching child therapists for Jack but he was glad that Jack seemed brighter today than he had had in months.
Persephone glanced up to the sky and noticed just how beautiful it was. It seemed that there was little light pollution near Rossi's place because there was a galaxy of stars. A few shooting stars dropped from the sky. It was stunning. Space had always been a passion of hers. She was beginning to wish that she'd brought a telescope and a pair of binoculars with her.
"Are you all right there Percy?" Reid asked. He had noticed how quiet she had got suddenly. He hadn't known Persephone that long, but he did know that sudden and prolonged silence meant that his favourite ginger was thinking about something.
"Have you seen the sky?" She asked. "Everybody, take a minute to apricate the beauty of nature."
The team did just that. They watched for a few minutes before Persephone broke the silence.
"Did you know that there are more stars in the galaxy than there are atoms in the universe?" She informed them.
"OK, Reid." Morgan commented.
Persephone gave a short chuckle. Apparently, if anyone shared any sort of fact it made them the same as their resident genius. No one was like Reid. Reid was a one-of-a-million. That was why Persephone liked him so much. He was just Reid.
"I loved star-gazing a kid. We had an observatory and a planetarium nearby and I used to go there on weekends or on school trips." Persephone told them.
"Oh?" Reid prompted. He didn't want to ask her a question outright in case it stopped her talking. There knew so little about her childhood, but it seemed that she was ready to share something.
"I think that it came from my mum you know. She loved astronomy too that and Greek mythology. My middle name, Elara, that's a moon of Jupiter. She loved space."
"Loved?" Morgan asked.
"Err you know I'm feeling a little tired. I think I'm going to turn in." Persephone muttered before she got up and left the garden. Reid tried went to touch her arm, trying to encompass her feelings of concern and comfort all in one. He wanted to get her to stay to just talk with them a little more even if it wasn't about her family. It didn't work. She flinched away from him. At that moment he knew that she was done talking and there wasn't anything anyone could do to change that.
Persephone laid on her bed, in the dark. She rubbed her cheeks as the tears fell down her face. She'd been careless. One look at the sky and she was bearing her soul the team. She didn't do that. This wasn't what she did. She felt herself being pulled into another memory.
"Year 6 stop casting shadows and pay attention! What is it that you were saying?" Mrs Brooks scolded her pupils before turning to the professor leading their talk. The school was a trip to the local planetarium.
"Who can tell me what this is?" The women asked. Above their heads, a picture of swirly colours could be seen.
"It's a Nebula. Specifically, it's a helix nebula." Persephone answered the eagerness making her forget the rules.
"Persephone Ambrose! We do not shout out. You will raise your hand if you wish to speak." Mrs Brooks reprimanded.
Persephone flinched. She hoped that her father didn't find out about this. If he did…
"Sorry, ma'am I mean miss." She apologised.
"You were quite right Persephone." The professor congratulated "Are interested in space?"
"I love astronomy." Persephone answered. "I also love Greek Mythology."
"Geek-zooid's made a friend!" Someone shouted, and the class erupted into laughter.
"Quiet! The next person to speak can wait outside." Mrs Brooks threatened.
Persephone was at a quandary. While she really didn't want to go into her past, she couldn't help but feel a little relieved to talk about her memories again. They hadn't been all bad after all. The warm feeling, she had when with her team was something she hadn't felt in a long time. The fun she had today was undeniable. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to talk to someone about her life. Or maybe it would be the straw that broke the camel's back.
A few minutes ago…
The team watched as Reid tried to get Persephone to stay. Clearly, it wasn't what she wanted right now though. They had to respect that. She wanted space so they would give it to her. Reid made a mental note to check on her before he went to bed. Persephone probably wouldn't answer but he wouldn't want to go to bed without having tried. It was clear to the team that she wasn't tired like she said but instead was scared.
"Is she OK?" Morgan asked feeling guilty for causing Persephone to leave. He couldn't help but feel that if it hadn't have said anything that she would still be with them. If he had let the slip go by unnoticed and turned his profiler head off for one second, she would still be talking with them. Instead, he had to open his big mouth and frightened Persephone off.
"I think so." Reid answered though he wasn't entirely confident in his answer. He hoped she was all right but knew that if she wasn't there wasn't much they could do tonight. Tomorrow he would approach her to make sure. Never had Reid been more thankful for that fact they were spending a weekend together. That is unless Persephone decided to make a run for it.
"You know her better than anyone else here. What do you think that was all about?" Prentiss asked. She was beginning to feel worried about their latest member. They all were a little guarded about their pasts, but Persephone took the biscuit. Her walls were the Hadrian's Wall of walls. They had all noticed that Spencer was closer to Persephone than the rest of them. Emily couldn't help but feel a little jealous even if it was a little childish.
"I have a few hunches and I know a bit more about her past than you do but nothing I'm willing to share." Reid answered.
"Come on Spence, we only want to help." JJ Explained.
"I know." Reid acknowledged. "But Persephone will tell you when she's ready to. I'm not going to ruin the trust she has placed in me by breaking confidentiality."
There were a few sighs and grumbles at that. They really wanted to help Persephone with whatever had gone on during her childhood. It was obvious that something had happened. To be fair though each one of them had suffered some kind of childhood trauma. They didn't know what that said about working as the BAU.
It was clear by the way that Persephone spoke about her mum in the past tense that she was either dead or not in the picture. That didn't mean that they knew or understood everything. The love Persephone had for her mum was clear just as the sadness in her eye was clear.
"Reid's right." Hotch confirmed. The authority in his tone left no room for agreement and silenced the protests of his team.
"I know. It's hard to not push but please just be patient. Persephone will talk to us when she's ready." Hotch instructed them.
"And when she is ready" Reid added, "We will be here."
The team reluctantly agreed. It would no doubt take some time, but it would be worth it in the end. Patience was a virtue and one that would be key in helping Persephone. That's what they were going to do and that's what they were doing to do.