A/N: Hello again, everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. No copyright infringement is intended.

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

This chapter takes place on October 9th since it is an important day: Dr. Spencer Reid's 30th birthday. And one of my favorite Season 7 episodes, Painless.

"Okay," Élise was finishing up setting up Reid's birthday breakfast plate. She asked Séraphine, who was in her highchair and drinking her bottle, "Think this will impress daddy?"

Séraphine simply nodded her head as she continued sucking on her bottle.

Élise chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Happy birthday, my love!" Élise threw confetti in the air just as she saw a still-sleepy Reid, who was scratching his messy hair and the back of his neck and yawning.

Even though he was still tired, especially after the case before the weekend, he pulled a small smile on his face. "Aw," Touched, Reid gave Élise a passionate lip kiss before walking over and kissing Séraphine's head, tickling her chin, causing her to tickle. "Even better that I get to spend my…30th…birthday with you."

Élise placed two full cups of freshly squeezed orange juice on the tables, "Still having a problem saying 30th birthday?"

Reid let out a chortle as he sat down. He stared at his breakfast plate of a confetti pancake and waffle cake, a cinnamon roll, two strips of maple bacon, mixed berries, and fresh fruit, and a chocolate donut with sprinkles. "You just love spoiling me, huh?"

"I'm always going to spoil you," Élise helped herself and sat down on Reid's lap. "And I know you'll always spoil me."

Reid smiled with pleasure when Élise started playing with the ends of his hair. Even to the point where it…

"B'abbbdddaa…ddaa…ddaa…"

Séraphine let out this big burp after she stopped drinking and started to laugh.

Smiling, Élise whispered in Reid's ear and asked, "Think she knew?"

"Well, she's smart."

Reid murmured in Élise's ear, "She got it from me."

"Well, don't you look nice," Élise said with Séraphine in her arms as she saw Reid in a purple polo shirt, Converse sneakers and dark denim jeans. "I love to see you in jeans."

"I don't know." Reid looked at himself in the mirror, observing his jeans. "You know jeans are not my style."

"It's something new," Élise stated, "Plus…I enjoy you in jeans on rare occasions." She flirtatiously patted his backside and licked her teeth with her tongue. She soon asked Séraphine, "What do you think, homegirl?"

"Yaaaahhhh…." Séraphine happily babbled and clapped her hands. "Da…da…da…"

Reid tickled his daughter's cheek, making her giggle, "I guess I could wear them this one time."

"And just in case," Élise grabbed a shopping bag with sets of dress pants, "I packed extra."

"Aww, this is so cute," Luna exclaimed as she was taking pictures of the family; silver and purple balloons and streamers surrounded them along with a giant and floating 3 and 0 behind them. "How does it feel being 30, dad?"

Élise laughed, "Yeah, dad. How does it feel?"

"Unusual." Reid truthfully said.

"I like this one," Élise pointed to a B&W photograph of herself and Reid kissing Séraphine's cheek. "You know I can't resist a black-and-white photograph."

Luna commented, "I like it as well; I remember turning 30 five years ago; I felt so black-and-white and in between."

"In between how?" asked Reid after strapping Séraphine in her stroller. "And with what?"

Luna shrugged her shoulders, "Life in general. You wonder what you want in life, but at the same time, you do with all the choices you make in your life. Were they the right choices? Were they the wrong choices? All you have to do is take a closer look at your life."

"All you have to do is take a closer look at your life," Reid recited Luna's words as he, Élise, and Séraphine were at the park.

"Here you go, and thank you," Élise gave the local vendor the money for the snacks she bought for herself and Reid, "You can keep the change."

"All you have to do is take a closer look at your life," Reid recited those words again as he took the coffee Élise bought for him. "Thanks."

Élise asked before giving Séraphine her bottle, "Are you still thinking about those words Luna said?" She takes a bite of her corndog.

"Yeah," Reid said nonchalantly before sipping some of his coffee. "Have you wondered about the choices you made in life?"

"What do you mean?" Élise asked with understanding. "Are you have doubts? About the choices, you made in your life?"

Reid let a tear fall, "Yeah."

"Oh, honey," Élise caressed his cheek. "And yes. Sometimes I do wonder what my life would be if I didn't become a lawyer. What if I choose another career? Another life? Or…anything, really. But then, I would not have met you. Or married you. Or had Séraphine." Élise takes another bite of her corndog.

Reid looked down at Séraphine drinking her bottle and patted her head.

"Life is full of choices; happy, sad, regret, doubt," said Élise. "As a matter of fact, my quote of the day…" After tossing her corndog stick in the nearby garage can, she reached for her phone and disinfected her hands. "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. Albert Einstein."

Reid nodded in his head, "I know."

"But at the same time, I wouldn't have it any other way. And you shouldn't either."

"I don't." Reid assured Élise, "But I can't help but wonder."

"Life is full of wonder," Élise said with wisdom. She pointed to a woman who looked like a gypsy. Her long hair was dark and curly with a colorful kerchief; her attire was a long draped top and long skirt, and she was arranging cards in front of her a small table. "Oh! Let's go ask her."

"A gypsy?" Reid was unsure about this as Élise dragged him towards her table. "I don't know."

Élise encouraged him, "Well, I don't know about you, but I've always been interested in tarot card reading. Plus, it could be fun."

"Life's a wonder, right?" Reid recited Élise's words.

Élise smiled, "Exactly." Élise caught the woman's attention, "Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Ahh," The gypsy woman smiled at the sight of the family. Smoothly asking them, "How may I help you today?"

Reid scratched the back of his neck, "I, uh…uh…well, you see…"

"Tempt you with a card reading, my good sir?" She motioned to the cards on the table.

Reid silently shook his head.

"Take a seat." She gestured to him to take a seat in front of her. "Don't worry; I just clean it. I sense you're someone who's a germaphobe, no?"

Élise seemed impressed by the woman, who soon set three cards in front of him before turning one over. It was an image of a revolving wheel and four-winged creatures sitting upon the clouds.

"The Wheel of Fortune card." The woman breathily said. "Big changes have happened to you, I see." Her hand trembled as she picked up the card and motioned it towards Élise. "As well as you, my fair lady and young child." Setting it back down, "But at the same time, I sense unexpected events have also happened to you."

She gasped when she turned over a card with a person in black who was more focused on the three fallen gold cups than the two cups still standing behind him.

"The Five of Cups card. There was a loss that has happened to you. Deeply affecting you and struck you with grief and sadness, as well as mourning and…disappointment." She looked to him and senses, "You have wondered about accepting it and moving on. But you are trying to find peace and seek out the positives in life. I find that good."

She turned the final card, and it was the image of a child, a white horse, sunflowers, and a large sun.

"Like the Beatles song: Here Comes the Sun. Even when you are still having moments of uncertainty, there's hope in the future. Good things and positive outcomes are coming from the struggles you are having and facing." She picks up the card again and motions it towards Élise again. "As well as for you, my fair lady and child."

As Reid was surprisingly speechless throughout the reading, Élise showed her gratitude towards the woman and tips her, "Why, thank you…" She picked up her business card, "Giselle Ar-de-lean."

"Of course," Ms. Giselle beamed.

Élise helped him up from his seat and continued pushing Séraphine, who babbled and observed the rest of the park.

"Maeve! Bobby! And little BJ!" Élise exclaimed as she saw the Donovan-Putnam family on the front lawn of their house. "Are you here for the celebration?"

"Yup," Bobby eagerly said as he presented the cake Maeve and Élise picked out. "I hope you guys are ready because I'm ready to eat some cake."

Reid unlocked the front door, and everyone entered the house. "Well, let's get the celebration." Just as he was about to close and lock the door,

"Spencer!" She squealed at the sight of her son, running towards him with open arms.

"Mom!" Reid was amazed to see his mother. And his father as well as he stepped out of the Toyota Prius hybrid rental. "Dad!"

"Oh, my baby!" Diana almost knocked Reid off his feet as she hugged him with all her might. "Oh, my wonderful, sweet, and big baby boy!" She holds his head with her hands and kisses his head and forehead numerous times.

Élise couldn't help but take pictures on her cell phone. "Aww." Hugging her father-in-law, "It's great to see you guys again."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world." William smiled. "My son's 30 years old."

"Oh, I just can't believe it!" Diana had just stopped kissing her son and immediately took Séraphine from Élise and started kissing her. "My little boy is 30 years old!"

Reid blushed embarrassingly, "Mom…"

"Come on, Spencer," Bobby lightly taps Reid's shoulder, "You're thirty. Just say it. Thir-ty. Thir-ty."

"Thir-" Reid tightly pressed his lips but couldn't say it. "Thir-thir-" Élise gave him a pat on the back. "Thirty!" Reid blurted it out.

Élise smirked, "Now, was that so hard?"

"Mmm…" Reid took another bite of his chocolate birthday cake; he, Élise, and Maeve were hanging out in the kitchen, getting their cake slices. "This cake is delicious," Reid observed the two-tier antique book cake. "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe."

Élise helped herself to a slice, "Maeve helped me."

"Yup," Maeve said after swallowing her piece. "He's my favorite author."

"I have a wide range of authors that I love: Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe—the inventor of detective fiction. As a matter of fact, it was Sir Doyle who wrote," Élise tries her best to imitate a Scottish-British accent, "Where was the detective story until Poe breathed the breath of life into it?"" She eats another bite of cake.

Maeve chuckled and had just placed her plate in the sink when,

"Ahhh!"

They dashed out of the kitchen when Diana screamed from the living room.

"Mom!" Reid cried with worry.

Bobby called, "Maeve, get in here!"

"Look, baby!" Diana frantically pointed to Séraphine and BJ crawling on the carpeted living room floor. "Look! Look!"

"OMG!" Élise had her hands on her cheeks, squealing, "Oh, my God!"

"Fifi!" Reid squashed when he saw Séraphine crawling towards him and Élise. "Come here, Fifi!"

Séraphine babbled as Reid picked her up, "Da-da. Da-da."

"Aw," Maeve gushed what she was witnessing as she scooped BJ into her arms when he crawled to her. "She just gave you the best birthday present ever!"

"I guess turning 30 hasn't been so bad after all," Reid commented.

Élise gushed at the video of Séraphine crawling; Reid had just walked into the bedroom after tucking Séraphine to bed, "What a day."

"I can't stop watching this video of our Fifi crawling." Élise oozed. "I'll admit: I'm jealous she crawled to you instead of me."

"Séraphine loves her mommy just as much as she loves her dada," Reid assured Élise before pointing to himself. "But there's no doubt she's a daddy girl."

Élise playfully crossed her arms, "Yeah, I can tell."

"Aw, sweetie. It's okay." Élise continued wiping fussy Séraphine's runny nose in the living room when Reid came in but stood between three-to-six feet away. "I got you." Élise took note of Reid's attire for the day: a navy cardigan sweater over a blue button dress shirt, a tie, gray pants, and his signature Converse sneakers. "You look nice, honey."

"Thank you," said Reid before he correctly guessed. "She still has a fever?"

"Yup." Élise answered, "She's still not eating much, and her nose is runnier than a poached egg. But don't worry; I already made an appointment with Dr. Kelly this morning."

"Maybe I should stay home," Reid suggested. "We have a case in Boise, Idaho, and I could..."

"I got her," Élise rocked a fussy Séraphine. "You head to Boise; if anything, I'll call you, okay."

"Okay," Reid sighed; he really didn't want to leave Élise and Séraphine. He looked at his silver watch, "I better get going." He blew a kiss at Élise and Séraphine. "I love you."

Élise waved as Reid was leaving, "We love you, too."

After the plane landed in Boise, while the rest of the team headed to the Boise Police Department and the Slade household, Hotch had Reid and JJ go to Principal Givens' house.

Reid and JJ talked about their social standings in high school before JJ brought up Reid hustling Morgan last week.

"You know he said he's going to get back to you; you just won't see it coming," JJ warned him.

Reid scoffed, "I'd liked to see that."

A scary incident happened in D.C.

Just as most of the team was at the house of the North Valley High School massacrer and came across a kill list.

Which had Principal Givens' name on it just as they got the news of another alumni victim, Chelsea Grant, at her motel room…

Who's also on the kill list.

With the upcoming anniversary service and the chances of a potential hidden partner, the team delivered the profile to the Boise Police Department.

The unsub grew up in an abusive home, keeping him from forming normal high school social bonds. While outcasts eventually form friendships, the unsub was someone even the outcasts rejected and wouldn't even remember graduating with him. For the unsub this upcoming weekend, it's a high school reunion than a memorial service.

While Prentiss conducts cognitive interviews with the North Valley survivors, Reid was in one of the meeting rooms with Hotch and JJ.

They went over the kill list-Reid's phone kept vibrating, prompting him to turn it off-before Garcia managed to get a name.

"Oh, Spencer Walter Reid..." Élise hissed to herself as she redialed his phone number for the umpteenth time again. "Pick up the damn phone."

"You have reached Dr. Spencer Reid. Please leave me a detailed message..."

Élise growled, "If I have to leave you another detailed message, I'm gonna..."

Before she could finish that sentence, someone called out for her.

The team gets news of another North Valley alumni murder victim, Jerry Holtz, the one who looked Randy Slade in the eye before killing himself and other victims. Reid deducted that after inspecting the trophy case, the unsub smashed his arm through. And thinking about how the unsub would have broken his hands after beating Chelsea to death, the unsub doesn't feel any pain.

Now the team was back at the Boise Police Department. While Prentiss and JJ were looking through yearbooks, Reid, Rossi, Hotch, and Morgan were with each other as Reid explained the unsub's medical condition.

Reid finally snapped at the caller as his phone rang one too many times. Reid quickly realized Morgan leaked his number to the press to get back at him for the pool betting.

Reid vowed to get back at Morgan for this. He began to walk away when he got another call. Now he was seriously reaching his limit when he got another call and angrily answered, "Listen up, you idiotic…maternal-of-pearl scratcher. If you ever call my phone again…"

"I KNOW FOR A FACT YOU BETTER NOT BE TALKING TO ME, DR. SPENCER WALTER REID!"

Reid pulled the phone away from his ear when he realized he was talking to Élise. "I'm so sorry, my love," Reid profoundly apologizes to her. "It just…"

"It just what, fool!?" Élise snarled. "Is that how you greet your wife and the mother of your child?! What, you don't pick up your phone anymore!? You better have a hella of a good reason why. Because I had to take Séraphine to the hospital, she was diagnosed with RSV!"

Reid could feel his body collapse and almost passed out in the nearby chair. Clutching his hand to his heart, he barely whispered, "What?"

Élise sighed and calmed down, "I was just about to call Hotch before I finally got ahold of you. She started wheezing, and she was looking blue. We're home now, and I will ask you again why I had to keep on calling you like I lost my damn mind?"

Reid calmed Élise down, "I'm sorry, bunny. Morgan gave my phone number to the press to get back at me for the pool bet."

"Oh. Oh, okay," Now Élise the Silent Eliminating Enforcer resurfaced. "Don't tell him anything. I got a big surprise waiting for him when you guys come home."

"Well, I have a surprise for him as well." Reid knew how to get back at Morgan.

Élise commanded, "Do it. Love you."

"I love you, too."

While the case ended on a somewhat bittersweet note, the team was on the plane ride home. While JJ was in the kitchenette and Hotch was on the other rode, sitting by himself, Reid, Morgan, Rossi, and Prentiss all sat together. Prentiss was reading a newspaper, Rossi was looking at the window. Reid was 'asleep' just as Morgan put on his headphones and turned on some music from his iPod.

Reid hacked into Morgan's iPod and left him a message on why to never wage a prank war at an M.I.T. grad before leaving a recording of him screaming.

And again, when Morgan answered, thinking it was Garcia.

Rossi waved a white flag to Rossi. Morgan turned his phone off and promised Reid, "Uh-uh. All right, Reid, it's on. Just know that paybacks are a bitch."

Reid faked a snore again, but he knew Morgan was in for a bigger surprise when Élise got her hands on him.

"Ah, I so do not miss the days of high school," Prentiss said as she was in the elevator with everyone else.

"Mm-mmm," JJ agreed with Prentiss, despite Reid's earlier and suppositions that she was a mean girl. "I was so ready to leave for college."

Hotch spoke up, "Nobody messed with me in high school."

"Now that I believe," Rossi commented before seeing Reid's smirk on his face. He asked just as Morgan's phone rang again. "Why are you so happy?"

Reid said as Morgan answered, "Wait for it."

"Hello?"

"Derek Morgan, you are in trouble…" Garcia whispered. "And you about to get hurt…"

"Trouble?" Morgan cocked his head and grimaced his face, "Wha…?" Just as the elevator doors opened, Morgan asked, "Get hurt by who?"

"By me."

They were greeted by a frightened Garcia and Élise. Her arms were crossed, her stare was icy, her jaw clenched, her foot was tapping, a twitch in her eye and the glare she had on her face and judging from the tone in her voice grinding her teeth…

Everyone knew she was pissed.

"Oh," Rossi whispered in Morgan's ear. "You in trouble."

Élise slowly approached him; everyone moved away from Morgan, who was now standing in the middle. Silence endured for the next few seconds before Morgan cleared his throat. "Élise…"

By the way Élise's nostrils flared and her eyes bulged, she was not in the mood for Morgan and began pulling him out of the elevator by his ear.

"Ow! Ow!" Morgan cried in pain. "I'm sorry…ow!"

Garcia opened the door for Élise. Everyone else was silent; some grimaced their face, tightly pressed their mouths, either trying to desperately not laugh or say anything.

"Ow-ow-ow-owwwww!" Morgan continued crying out in pain until Élise hurled him in a chair and released his ears. Massaging his mistreated ears, it was a miracle they were still attached to his head. Élise now had one of her hands on her hip and the other on the desk, tapping and still pissed off.

"What's the matter?"

A surprisingly composed Élise snarled with a smile on her face, "What's the matter? What's the matter!?" She squealed when she repeated the question. "You hopelessly staring at me with your bare face hanging out, and you have the balls to ask me what's the matter!?" Élise did a Carl Winslow.

Morgan answered hesitantly, "Yes..."

Élise raised her hand palm in the air, scaring Morgan and almost the team before she lowered her hand, cupped them together, deeply inhaled, and exhaled. She still had a smile on her face. "Oh, boy, you should consider yourself to be the luckiest person there are people around; otherwise, you'd be in serious trouble."

Morgan stuttered, "I-I-I can explain…"

"I-I-I can explain..." Élise mocked him, smacked her lips, and twitched her eye. "Okay. Can you explain why you gave Spencer's number to the press? Can you explain why I couldn't get a hold of him? Especially when I had to take our seven-month-old daughter to the hospital for RSV? Explain all that to me, Muscle Man." Élise rolled her head and pursed her mouth, and tapped her temples. "Do you have any good head at all?"

Morgan felt chills when Élise told him about Séraphine. "I-I..."

"I NOTHING!" Élise exclaimed. "WHAT YOU DID WAS DUMB, CHILDISH, STUPID, REPREHENSIBLE, AND JUST STRAIGHT-UP PLAIN WRONG!"

Morgan muttered, "It was, yes."

"You don't say." Élise replied with sarcasm before finally calming down again. She folded her arms again. "Well…Dr. Spencer Reid, you should be happy to know that I told my fellow associates not to have them use you as a witness since you misrepresented you to the public because of some childish prank." When Morgan could reply, Élise stopped him and continued, "Ho-ho! That's not all. We'll be docking $200 for rent, you're going to pay for a new security system, get Spencer a new phone, and you make damn sure the number's private, a cleaning service for the rest of the year. And…one last time…" Getting in his face, "If something like this ever happens again, especially to Fifi and our potential future children..." She whispered in his ear. Pulling away to see his shocked and somewhat scared face, "You get it? You got it?"

A silence Morgan nodded his head in agreement.

"Good." Élise patted his cheek, smiled, and strolled away.

"What exactly did you say to Morgan?" Hotch asked Élise as they, along with Reid, were now in Hotch's office.

Élise chuckled, "I rather you not know."

Hotch snickered before his face turned serious again, "Well, as of today, Morgan will be suspended for a week for his actions, along with Prentiss and JJ."

Reid asked with confusion, "What happened?"

Sighing, Hotch said, "Well, as it turns out, while Prentiss was still hiding from Doyle in Paris, JJ played online Scrabble with her under the name 'Cheeto Breath.'"

"Since it could have compromised Emily's location," Reid figured. "And Doyle would have founded her and the rest of us."

"Exactly." Hotch proved his point.

"Bloody hell," Élise placed her two fingers on her temple. "I'm not in the mood to deal with them right now. I'll deal with them the next time I see them because I'm low on energy right now, and I just want to go to my little girl."

"There you go, my angel," Reid was finished injecting saline drops into Séraphine's nose. He rose from the rocking chair and gently shook a sleepy yet still fussy Séraphine in his arms. "You pretty little princess."

Just as he placed Séraphine in her crib, Élise walked in, already in her sleepwear. "Hey," Élise was happy to see Reid and Séraphine. "How is she now?"

"She's resting right now." Reid petted Séraphine's head; Élise turned on the small white cool mist vaporizer machine. Blowing a kiss to Séraphine, Élise hated the fact that she couldn't kiss her, "Dream sweetly, little girl."

Reid waved goodnight, "Sweet dreams, love." He and Élise left with sad smiles on their faces. After Reid closed the door, Élise collapsed her body onto Reid, and he caught her,

"There-there." Reid comforted Élise with soothing rubs to her back. "It's okay."

"You should have seen her," Élise shakingly sighs, "My God…it was just so scary; taking her to the hospital."

"She's going to be alright." Reid continued solacing her as he led her to the bedroom, "She's home safe and sound and with us."

"I know," Élise patted her hand on her chest and sniffed once. "I know." Sighing, "What a day we both had."

Reid chuckled as he and Élise crawled into bed, "For a second there, I thought you were going to hurt Morgan."

"I wanted to kick him in the no-nos and so much more, but even I have standards." Élise shook her head. "Just wait until I see JJ and Prentiss again. Staying in contact with each other; I mean, I get it, but something could have happened to you, me, all of us."

"I agree," Reid shook his head. "At least I got Morgan back good with that prank."

Élise laughed, "I heard from Rossi that he offered Morgan a white flag to surrender; I hope he takes it."

"Mmm-mmm," said Reid before resting his head against the pillow, "The case we had to deal with was the reason I do not miss high school."

"I know I don't," Élise laid her head on the pillow. "I had to deal with some unpleasant people, including bullies. People didn't think I'd make something of myself but look where I am now."

Reid turned his head, "I love you."

"I love you."

They connected in a loving kiss.

A/N: I'd like to give a shoutout to Quilter1993 for always helping me with my stories.