A/N: Hello again, everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.

My apologies for any mistakes I made but enjoy the chapter!

The chapter starts in late August/early September.

"Ehh," Élise grunted as she was organizing and reorganizing her Goyard trunks on the bed. "Okay." She let out one last grunt, "I got you down." Élise sighs in relief as she wipes her forehead. "Finally."

Reid walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a white button shirt, khakis, and Converse sneakers, wiping down his hands with a clean rag.

"I got my luggage ready," Élise announced. "What about you?"

Reid pointed out to his luggage on the side of the bed, "Ready since last night."

Exhaling again, "I just needed to do one last checkup round before we leave," Élise said as she sat down on the edge of the bed

Reid sat next to her and asked, "Are you sure you want to do it?"

Reid retorted, "What do you mean?"

"Going on a cruise."

A few days to a week ago…

Élise sighed as she jolted down her signature on a document needed for a case she is consulting with a colleague.

Her assistant Anna walked in; Élise looked at her, "Ms. Bastien?"

"Here you go," Élise handed her the signed paper, "And may you please tell Mr. Thomas that I'll call him as soon as possible, by tonight?"

Anna obeyed her order, "Yes, ma'am."

Élise gave her a small smile before she leaves.

And the phone rings, Answering it, "This is Bastien." Élise heaved a sigh. "Yes, Gloria. I'll have the file cases sent over to you when I finish looking over them. Okay. Have a good day. Goodbye."

Just as she logged out of her emails, Élise removed her heels to give her feet a break for a few minutes; they were cutting off circulation.

And gets another phone call, "Bastien." Élise rubbed her eyes and said, "Yes, Edward. I could give a consultation tomorrow."

She slipped into some comfortable flats and tasted her coffee when Anna walked in again.

Élise grimaced her face, "What happened now, Anna?"

A tall and hefty middle-aged distinguished gentleman with graying coifed hair, gunmetal eyes, strong nose, jowl beginnings, and fair skin in a tailored suit and polished black brogues walked pasted her.

Élise's jaw gaped, and her eyes widened when she noticed her boss.

"Mr. Wilmington."

He gave her a light smile, "Hello, Élise."

Anna excused herself, and Élise was still in shock to see him. Normally, she rarely saw him unless it was either good news…

Or bad news.

But that hardly happened with her.

"So…" An anxious Élise gave her boss a trembling smile and nervously giggled, "How can I help you today, sir? Oh," She gestured to the glassware and pitchers of waters she had behind him and offers to pour him some,

"Would you like something to drink?" She began rambling like Reid, "Don't worry, I don't even keep a drop of alcohol in here, which should relieve you since I don't even drink, which is a good thing; my baby girl just turned six months. One day, she was in my belly and then in my arms at the hospital after being in labor for twelve hours and now's she's six months. And soon…"

"Whoa-whoa-whoa," Mr. Wilmington motioned Élise, "Take a deep breath, Élise."

Following her boss' suggestion, Élise inhaled and exhaled.

"Thank you," Mr. Wilmington gave his gratitude for the water Élise poured for him. "I need to talk to you about something."

Now Élise had the worst feeling in the worst, "Oh, God, I'm fired, am I?" Before Mr. Wilmington could say another word, Élise rambled again, "I know I can be a bit of a hardass, maybe a complete bitch at times, well, most of the times I can be one," Élise whispers, rubbing the back of her neck and looked away for a few seconds, "But please, sir." Now Élise began to plead shakingly; she felt her voice cracking and could cry in front of her boss, "Please. If there's anything I could do to change your mind, and I swear, no, I promise you, sir, I'll…"

"Élise…" Mr. Wilmington nodded his hand down, "You're not in any trouble, so just relax. Take a deep breath or two."

"Okay. Okay." Élise took a few more deep breaths and sat back down in her chair, "Okay." Élise deeply exhales. "I'm good. I'm sorry you had to see that, sir." Élise pats her chest to ease her heart beating, "I can be such a drama queen. You should have seen me when my husband and I were planning our wedding and when we were preparing for Séraphine."

"I know that feeling." Mr. Wilmington snickered, "I've always liked you, Élise."

Élise joked. "That's one of the reasons why you hired me, right?"

"That as well." Mr. Wilmington replied just as he reached into his suit jacket and handed her a small lively brochure. "Which is why I wanted to give you this."

"The Golden Wattle," Élise read the cover before gently taking the booklet from her boss' hands and took a quick inside and saw tickets before saying, "This is for a cruise."

Mr. Wilmington replied, "It is."

"And you're just giving me this?" Élise's eyebrow curved, her mouth was partially open, astonishingly wondering, "Why? Why me?"

"Well, let's see," Mr. Wilmington began listing his reasons, "My wife and I are not into boats; they make us seasick, actually. And they scare the hell out of me ever since I saw Titanic."

"I love the movie," Élise commented. "It's a classic."

"It is," Mr. Wilmington agrees before continuing, "You're one of my best attorneys. And I've been noticing, as well as a majority of your colleagues here, even Anna has commented, that you've been working more…intensely since you came back to your maternity leave three months ago."

"No, sir," Élise answered, "I-I mean…Just because I had a child doesn't mean I've lost my edge as an attorney. It may come off as intense, but I say it's more… passionate. Fierce. Strongminded. Again, it may come off as intense, if not dominating, but I want to prove to everyone else that I'm still the Silent Eliminating Enforcer. And I'm still determined to make the world a better place and bring the bad ones to justice."

"Inspirational," Mr. Wilmington said. "But they also said—and agreed—that you needed a vacation, and I felt that this cruise is the answer."

"I don't know." Élise was still feeling perplexed, "Should I?"

"I say take it." Mr. Wilmington said. "Go spend some more time with your family." Mr. Wilmington said. "You are still the same Silent Eliminating Enforcer; you just need a vacation."

"It's a good thing that you do," Reid said. "Why do you think I took a sabbatical?"

Élise jested, "So I can be the sole breadwinner?"

Reid chuckled, "So I can spend more time with you and Séraphine. And to not be some cliché workaholic like some of our colleagues."

Reid and Élise turned their hands to see Séraphine in her infant floor seat playing with her toys and babbling. Élise let out a chuckle, "True."

"Plus," Reid got up and cutely walked up to Séraphine and lifts her up and into his arms, "Our girl here looks ready to explore the world."

Élise giggled as she saw Séraphine in Reid's arms, fiddling with her white sunglasses, which went great with her floral poplin dresser and matching bloomer, kicking her legs and shaking her toys.

"Are you ready to get out of DC?"

Séraphine squealed.

"I take it as a yes." Reid full-on grinned, "But first, we're going to see some familiar faces."

"Maeve, Bobby, Spen, and I can't thank you enough for allowing Opal to stay with you while we go on this cruise." Élise expressed her gratitude for her two best friends.

Reid said, carrying Séraphine in his arms, "We'd take her along, but unfortunately, the Golden Wattle doesn't allow animals unless they're for service."

"Oh, that's okay," Maeve coolly understood with BJ in her arms. "We like Opal; she's a good doggy."

"So, where are you guys headed to?" Bobby curiously questioned.

Reid explained, "We're going to Las Vegas for a day to see my family…"

"Then we're heading to Honolulu for a few days, and on September 1st starts the cruise," Élise replied, setting up Opal's playpen in the corner of the living room.

"To Australia!" Reid exclaimed. "It'll be about three weeks, and we'll be staying there for a few days before flying to New Jersey to see Élise's family and go back home to DC."

"Fancy," Maeve moved her eyebrows upwards three times, "Bobby and I have been thinking about going on a cruise, but maybe to Norway or Iceland to see the Northern Lights."

Élise smirked, "I've always wanted to see the Northern Lights."

"Me, too," Reid said. "Maybe during the holiday season one of these days,"

"Hey, BJ," Bobby asked BJ, who was now in his arms and gently rocking him, "Do you want to pet Opal?" BJ carefully allowed BJ to pet Opal, who responded by purring Bobby's legs.

"She likes you, Bobby," Maeve giggled.

Opal soon licked BJ's face, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

"And she really likes BJ." Élise laughed at this moment.

After the long four hours and forty minutes flight from Reagan Airport in Washington D.C. to McCarran—five hours and seven seconds after getting to the gate as Reid calculated, he, Élise, and Séraphine had just gotten their luggage when they heard familiar voices.

"SPENCER!"

Élise playfully said, "I wonder who that could be?"

They saw an ecstatic Ethel running towards them with her arms out; trailing behind her was Spencer's Uncle Gordon, his female cousin and her significant other, Anna and Nathan, his male cousin, wife and toddler daughter John, Melissa, and Sabrina.

"Hey!"

"Hello again, Spencer!"

Ethel squealed, "You're here!"

Reid and Élise were still excited to see them and warmly hugged her, "Nice to see you again."

Ethel hugged them, and with all her might. "Oh!" Her eyes widened and flashed and her grin broadened when she had her eyes set on. "Oh, my…Séraphine!"

Ethel took Séraphine from Élise and bounces the six-month-old in her arms. "Oh, look at you! Look at you!"

Séraphine responded to Ethel with a happy squeal, which made Ethel smile even harder.

"Oh. Pretty soon, she'll be saying Aunite." Ethel giggled. "She's getting so big and so cute and so lovable. Just a big ball of love I have right here." Ethel gives Séraphine a smooch on her forehead.

"Definitely." Gordon gushed at the sight of his great-niece, "Oh, she's so adorable."

"Yup," Nathan agreed, waving to her. "She's growing into a real beautiful love."

Anna cuddled her arm tighter around Nathan's, "I know, right."

"Hey, Sabrina," John and Melissa try to get their young daughter's attention, "May you say hi to your third cousin, please?"

Sabrina just simply waved to Séraphine, "Hi."

"Say…Auntie," Ethel goofily said to Séraphine, who happily babbled to her while touching her face. "Come on, Fifi. Say 'Auntie.' Just this one time for me, please." Ethel pleaded.

Séraphine let out a giggle and a babble.

"Gordo!" Gordon got in Séraphine's face and mimicked his best Donald Duck impersonation, "Say 'Gordo,' Séraphine! Gor-do!"

Séraphine babbled and giggled, even more, covering her face as she did so.

"She will, Auntie Ethel," Élise laughs, taking a camera shot, "She's just beginning to string vowel sounds together, and soon enough, she'll say 'mama.'"

"Or 'dada.'" Reid injected himself into the conversation after leaving the kitchen with a plate filled with fresh fruit and sliced vegetables.

"She was just a tiny baby, and now she's six months." Ethel reminisced.

Gordon agreed, "Time goes by fast when raising children." Gordon wiped a tear in his eye. "Now we have two grown children with significant others, a grandchild…"

Ethel quickly replied, "I hope we can get some more grandchildren and great-children." Ethel questions Élise and Reid, "Are you reading to her so she can be as intelligent as you two?"

"Yes," Élise said. "Even sing to her from time to time."

"Are you feeding my great niece so she can get big and strong?"

"Yes, ma'am." Reid answered, "We're giving her the proper vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids for her development."

"Well, that's good. I want to give you two some of my top-secret recipes," whispered Ethel.

"Spencer! Élise!" A memorable gentleman greeted the family. "It's been far too long."

Reid smiled, "Hello again, Dr. Norman."

"Hey again, Dr. N," Élise said with a smile, gently rocking Séraphine in her stroller. "How've you been?"

"I've been well," Dr. Norman replied. "Thank you for asking." He crutched to Séraphine's size and grinned when he saw Séraphine. "And this must be the famous Séraphine Céleste?"

Élise nodded her head, "Mm-mmm."

"I've seen the photographs your mother has kept of her," Dr. Norman begins tickling Séraphine's chin, causing her to giggle, "She's so much more adorable in person."

"How is my mother doing?" Reid worryingly asked. "We talked last week, and you said she had a few days."

"About a week ago, she had her bad days," Dr. Norman said as he led the three to one of Bennington's living rooms, where they see a few elderly patients; among them was Diana Reid, and she was quietly reading by the window. "Even if her meds stabilize her symptoms. But recently, she had a complete 360, and she's doing well."

"She'll be in an even better mood once she sees her only child, daughter-in-law, and grandchild."

"I'll leave you guys be," Dr. Norman said. "And if you need anything…"

Reid assured him, "Absolutely."

Once Dr. Norman left them be, Reid sighed and slowly walked up to his mother.

"M-mom?"

Immediately recognizing Reid's voice, Diana had an instant smile on her face, "Spencer! How are you?" She closed her book, tossed it aside, and get out of her seat to hug him. "Oh, my baby boy!"

"What about your loving daughter-in-law?" Élise raised her hand, smirking.

Diana laughed, "I could never forget about you, Élise." Diana's mouth opened, and her eyes enlarged. "And my grandbaby girl!" Diana took Séraphine from her arms, "You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you. How are you?"

Séraphine babbled and began touching Diana's face as Élise and Reid giggled.

"She's a joy, huh?"

Diana politely asked, "Might if I show her off to everyone else here?"

"As long as we can supervise you," Élise added, making sure Séraphine won't be hurt in case Diana goes into one of her episodes.

After spending a couple of hours with Mother Diana, Reid and Élise decided to take Séraphine to see another family member.

"Spencer!" William was surprised to see his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, especially at his law firm. "What are you guys here?"

"We're here for a quick visit," Élise said. "We've decided to take a cruise from Hawaii to Australia, but we wanted to see you all here in Las Vegas before we head off to The Aloha State."

"Well, I'm glad you all are here," William smiled before coaxing Séraphine into his arms. "Especially since I get to see my granddaughter again."

Two female associates walked by the Bastien-Reid, and their jaws dropped when they saw Séraphine.

"Oh, my goodness," The young associate gushed. "What's a little cutie!" She soon gasped, "Look at those lashes. They're so long!"

Élise and Reid proudly smiled, as did William, "Thank you, Ella."

"Who's she?" The older associate asked with confused hesitation.

William proudly stated, "Adelaide, I'd like you to meet my six-month-old granddaughter, Séraphine Céleste."

"Oh, really?" The older associate doubted. "But her hair and…eye color…and skin…" She pointed out Séraphine's dark soft curly hair, brown eyes, and honey skin tone complexion.

"Uh, excuse me, ma'am," Reid politely injected into the conversation. "I'm William Reid's son, Dr. Spencer Reid, of the Behavioral Analysis Unit." He took out his FBI credentials.

"And I'm Federal Prosecutor for the U.S. Attorneys of the Justice Department Élise Gabrielle Bastien," Élise said with tranquility fury as she pulled out her badge. "William Reid's daughter-in-law. You may have heard of us."

Ms. Adelaide studdered, "I-I have, but, uh…"

"Something wrong, Ms. Adelaide?" Élise snapped, "A black woman and a white man can't have children today?"

Reid agreed, "Yeah. You got a problem with that?" He finished that sentence curving his eyebrows twice, and his nostrils lightly flared, channeling his Hotch signature.

Adelaide nervously cleared her throat, "Not really, no."

"Let's hope not."

Reid, Élise, and Séraphine spent off their five-hour and forty-four-minute flight at Honolulu International Airport, where hotel employees greeted them with smiles on their faces.

"Aloha!" A female employee said they placed fresh Hawaiian leis around their necks.

Élise said, taking Séraphine's hand and having her wave to them after placing one around her neck. "Aloha and mahalo!"

"I guess someone's been learning some Hawaiian sayings," Reid said. "I thought that was my job."

"That and I've been re-watching this show I used to watch, Rocket Power."

"Ah," Élise breathed in and breathed out the fresh Hawaiian air as she was breathlessly staring at Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach on the balcony of one of Halekulani Hotel's suites.

"I finally got Fifi done to sleep," Reid said as he stood beside her and stared at the breathtaking views Honolulu has to offer.

Élise smirked, "Well, that's good. She's going to need it. We still have some time to see a little of Honolulu before the cruise soon."

"I have some places we could see," Reid said. "Like the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, the USS Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri Memorial, and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific."

"I always wanted to see them." Élise sadly smiled, "As well as pay my respects."

Reid pulled Élise into his arms, "Ready to go to bed?"

"Uh-huh." Élise shook her head and gushed in excitement. "I can't wait for the cruise. Plus, I have the perfect outfit to board the cruise."