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!
Élise was all dressed up for the day: navy blue pinstripe linen jacket with matching pants, white ruffled crepe blouse, and block-heel pumps. Her hair was neat and straight; her makeup was perfectly fresh. She had a breakfast of Greek yogurt and berries and coffee and just had one last thing to do before work.
"Come and get the keys, Fifi!" Élise waved a set of colorful play keys in front of Séraphine and smiled with glee as she watched her crawl around the living room, following Élise. "Come and get the keys. Come and get them. Get them, Séraphine. Oopsie," Élise purposely dropped the keys in the middle of the living room and observed Séraphine playing with them for a moment before crawling to Élise, which spread her arms open, gurgling.
"Aaup…aaup." babbled Séraphine as she continued playing with the keys just as Reid walked in and immediately smiled. He was dressed in a navy blue cardigan sweater over a paisley-print blue dress shirt, matching trousers, and Converse. He took a sip from his coffee mug.
Reid gushed as he kissed her head, "Good morning again, my fabulous Fifi." He kissed Élise's lips. "And good morning again, love."
"Morning, love," said Élise before asking. "Have you given it any thought about going to the Halloween Festival at Mendel? Maeve has been asked to pick a cause for donations."
Reid thrillingly answered, "Absolutely. I just love the day where all order is suspended, and the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily remooooved." Reid tickled Séraphine's tummy when he ghostly howls and giggled along with her.
Chuckling, "Still…this is going to be her first time doing something like this, and she…" Élise gasped and began to jump and up, squealing in the direction she was pointing to. "Oh my…Spencer!"
Reid gasped at the sight of eight-month-old Séraphine pulling herself up on the couch.
"Fifi, you're cruising," said Reid was amazement.
Élise was filming Séraphine taking little steps while holding onto the couch. Her big eyes had her sighted on Reid, and she tried to walk towards him, only to take a fall.
"Oh, sweetie. It's okay." Reid rushed over to her side and helped her up, and got her cruising again. He encouraged Séraphine, "Keep on trying, and you'll be able to walk in no time."
Reid, JJ, and Prentiss looked at Garcia in Hotch's office and immediately knew they had another case coming.
Reid, however, was more focused on Rossi.
Morgan joined in and profiled Rossi had something on his mind but was being modest.
Hotch announced with Garcia next to him, telling the team it's time for work.
After discussing more on the case, the team got right to work after landing from the unsub to the MO.
From visiting the crime and dump scenes and medical examiner's office to talking to the friends and families of the victims.
Now that a woman was killed after a string of men, the unsub went from serial killer to spree killer.
And after a visit from the ME's office, the team was ready to give a profile that the unsub was a sadist with a God complex and gets off killing the victims repeatedly.
"Hello, my love."
Reid smiled at the sound of Élise's voice, taking his call in a quiet area away from everyone. "Hello."
"Did you get the video I got from Rose?" asked Élise.
Reid went into his messages and clicked on the video of Séraphine cruising against the living room wall. Instantly beaming, "Look at her. She loves moving than sitting."
"Doesn't any eight-month-old?" replied Élise before asking him, "Have you given any thought about Halloween costumes?"
Reid thought about it for a moment and said, "Not yet. Maybe after this case, we can talk more."
"Of course. I love you." Élise gushed.
Reid smiled, "I love you too."
After his quick chat with Élise, Reid got a call from the ME, came back into the room, and announced to the team that the unsub was dying from a form of blood cancer.
One of the victims, Jake Shepard, joined the church after a near-death ATV accident where he coded for four minutes but was revived.
The team thinks that the unsub is trying to come to terms with his own death; therefore, he is bringing victims back to life to talk to them.
The team gathered around after Prentiss and Rossi had just finished talking to Jake Shepard's mother about her son, a former hoodlum who turned his life to religion after an ATV accident six months prior.
During the conversation, Reid brought up his experience with Tobias Hankel while Prentiss mentioned her encounter with Doyle, and everyone felt chills when she stated that she actually died.
The team figured that the unsub was keeping his victims longer so he could ask them about the experience.
The team headed to Ridge Canyon Lake after hearing news of a possible abduction of a mother-and-son, Samantha, and Evan Braun.
And to the coldest part of the lake.
Finally, Reid, Hotch, Prentiss, and JJ found the unsub, Chase Whitaker, holding the son hostage at knifepoint.
He let the boy go before trying to drown himself.
While Hotch and JJ help Evan as he swam forward, Reid and Prentiss dived down after him, resurrected him, and told Chase it was not his time before arresting him.
Soon everyone had a small smile on their faces when they saw Evan reunited with his mother as Chase was taken away by deputies for his crimes, though they doubt Chase would be dead before that.
"It's not every day I get to see you looking like a wet rat," Morgan chuckled as he saw Reid drying off his hair after changing into a fresh set of clothes before they took off in the jet.
Reid deadpanned, wrapping the purple towel in the back of his neck, "Ha-ha."
"I bet it bought back some memories for you, huh?" Morgan reminded Reid of a certain case. Reid responded by thumping Morgan's shoulder and walking away, causing Morgan to laugh again.
Reid sighed as he locked in the security password after walking inside his home. He waved to Opal, sleeping in the corner before making his way to Séraphine's nursery. He gave her a quick kiss on her head before wishing her good night and sweet dreams.
He walked into his bedroom.
"I've been waiting for you," said Élise with her head on one side and her legs curled, smiling.
Reid crawled into the bed and kissed Élise's lips before changing into his favorite purple pajamas and talking about his experiences with Tobias Hankel before drifting off into a deep sleep.
Élise was humming to Stevie Wonder's Superstition on her phone as she was fixing up breakfast for herself, Reid, and Séraphine, who was enjoying small pieces of dry cereal.
"There you go, my love," Élise presented to Séraphine her breakfast of soft and mashed fruit and scrambled eggs. "Enjoy."
Élise giggled when she saw Séraphine eating her breakfast just as Reid walked in. Pulling Reid by his arm, "Is it not adorable watching Séraphine go through the pincer grasp? Using her cute little thumb and pointer finger to pick up her food and feed her adorable self? I mean…"
Élise's smile slowly vanished once she saw Reid's vacant stare. "Spencer?"
And he was still in his pajamas when he should be all dressed up and ready for work.
"Did you have a nightmare or…?" Élise looked at his phone and saw a message,
No work until Monday—we'll do paperwork; Rossi's 1st ex-wife Carolyn passed away last night after we came back from California ~ AH
"Oh, Rossi," Élise shook her head.
"Wow," Élise and Reid pulled up in front of Rossi's white Colonial-style place. "What a nice house Rossi has."
Reid joked, "Rossi prefers to call his house his 'mansion.' Which it technically is."
Élise let out a chuckle as she knocked on the front door a couple of times. When the door opened, there was Rossi, staring blankly into a cup of coffee, wearing a black robe over Italian silk pajamas and slippers.
Rossi tonelessly said, "Hey, you two." He cocked his head to the side, gesturing them to come inside. "Come in."
Élise and Reid entered Rossi's house and followed him into the living room. They sat down across from him and saw Rossi crash on the couch, almost spilling his coffee on his expensive couch.
"Hey, David," said Élise with compassion before giving her condolences. "I'm so sorry for your loss." Élise presented to Rossi a big weave basket. "I got you some of your favorite chocolates, cheeses, and Scotch."
Reid offered his sympathies and gifts, Rossi, a bouquet of white roses. "I'm sorry as well, Rossi." Reid didn't need to profile that he was no doubt taking Carolyn's death hard.
"Thanks, you two." said Rossi before he took another sip and sighed, "Carolyn was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease eighteen months ago."
"Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis," Reid straightaway knew what that was. "A nervous system disease that weakens the muscles and impacts the physical function. Stephen Hawking has been battling with ALS since 1963."
"Yeah." Rossi softly said and didn't mind his usual babble. "The disease attacked quickly, and she…" Rossi almost choked. "She wanted me to help her…end her life on her terms. And so, when I went to her hotel room…she knew I wouldn't help her end her life…so she took a fatal dosage of pills. I offered to call an ambulance, but she protested. So, I stayed with her."
"Oh, David…" Élise and Reid got up from the couch and immediately started comforting Rossi as he began to weep.
Thursday night and Friday, after Élise would come home from work, after dinner, they spent the rest of the night watching classic Halloween movies and specials such as Hocus Pocus, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, The Witches, etc.
On Saturday, Élise and Reid continued to film and watch Séraphine cruise around the living room and decorate before deciding to take her pick fresh apples and visit a pumpkin patch at a local farm and orchard after her nap. They read classic Halloween books and watch more Halloween movies and specials.
After breakfast, Élise and Reid took Séraphine to Sunday service and listened to the Reverend talk about grief, healing, moving on, and letting go. The Halloween celebration still continued.
On Monday morning, before starting on the paperwork, Hotch talked to Reid, Hotch, JJ, Morgan, and Prentiss about what they have done to support ALS.
"How do I look?" asked Élise as she was costumed in a white lacy dress with a red corset and tulle skirt, red boot covers and heels, a white sun hat and tights and gloves after she came into Séraphine's nursery.
Reid answered as he was getting into Séraphine into her costume, "You look Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. As does this little charmer."
Élise gasped and placed her hands on her cheek at the sight of Séraphine in her costume as a penguin. Gushing, "Aw! You look so cute in your first Halloween costume!" Élise had to take a couple of pictures before she eyed Reid in his costume: a red-and-yellow striped beige blazer jacket, white slacks, gloves, dress shirt and shoes, a turquoise hat bow tie, mismatch socks, and straw hat. "And you look so handsome, Mr. Bert."
"Ready to go to get our Halloween on, Ms. Mary Poppins?" asked Reid as he extended his flexed elbow out.
Élise wrapped her arm around his, "Absolutely." Soon asking Séraphine, "Ready for your first Halloween, Fifi?"
"Ah…" Séraphine happily babbled before giggling.
Reid said, "I take it as a yes."
"Lise! Spencer!" Maeve waved to the family as she, Bobby, and BJ were in their arms waiting outside on the large brick-and-limestone Thomas Hunt Morgan Center for them.
Élise waved back to them, "Hey, people!" Oodles of costumed people were walking and hurdling inside, itching to get their Halloween celebration on. "Ooh. Look at you all. Look at you all."
Maeve was clothed in a white lab jacket over a messy-and-slightly-disheveled white shirtdress, a wild purple hair wig, black lab goggles, and rubber gloves; Bobby in a similar outfit except in a white dress shirt, dirty black pants; and BJ as a baby plant.
"Oh, BJ." Élise gushed at the son's costume. "You such are blooming, huh?"
Everyone laughed at Élise's joke.
"Well, plants and genetics go hand-to-hand," said Maeve. "Still, I'm glad you guys made it."
Reid said, "Same. I can never miss out on Halloween. Plus, we just did paperwork today, and my boss wanted to take his son trick-or-treating, so…"
Élise replied, "Anything for you guys. And Halloween. And especially for the cause."
Once they stepped inside, Reid, Élise, Maeve, Bobby, and the children all played fun festival games, such as Pumpkin Golf, created their own mini pumpkin, bingo, ate caramel apples, candy corn, s'mores, etc. and danced to classic Halloween songs.
After about an hour-and-a-half later, Maeve appeared on the mini stage, standing between a woman costumed as a cowgirl and a middle-aged gentleman costumed as a robot. Tapping on the microphone a couple of times before clearing her throat and speaking into it, "Hello, everyone. And Happy Halloween!" Maeve addresses the crowd. "Again, I would not only like to thank you all for coming to the Halloween Festival at Mendel University but also for your generous donations to ALS. If you would still like to donate, please, any donation is most appreciated, no matter how small. Thank you, and let's keep on celebrating. Or at least until midnight."
That last comment made a few people laugh, including Maeve, as she stepped down and rejoined her Bobby, Élise, Reid, and the children, who were still squealing with excitement. "Are you enjoying yourself, BJ?" Maeve ended that question with a kiss on Bobby's head.
"He doesn't want to stop celebrating," said Bobby, who tickled his chin. "I know you don't, Spencer."
Reid bopped his head to the music and said, "Who won't be? It's Halloween. People have the same excitement with Christmas or any other holiday."
Élise was about to say something when a classic Halloween song began to play.
"Thriller!" shrieked Élise and gestured to join her on the dance floor. "Let's dance, people!"
Soon, everyone came onto the dance floor and began dancing to Thriller.
A/N: Thanks for reading!
More's coming soon!