A/N: Hey guys! here's part two like promised! Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think! Again, I'd like to thank CmGleek for her help with this! Also, be sure to go check out her stories, they're amazing! (my personal favorite is the kids in the bau and the sequal)
CriminalMindsFan88
The next 15 minutes Dave goes inside to finish the cooking while Erin sits in one of her deck chairs watching all the children interact. She noted how the girls almost seemed normal playing with Spencer and Penelope but there were little things she noticed which only added to her worry. The fact of any loud noises they both would flinch a little and then look around. How if Emily went down the slide JJ would be seconds behind her and she was like that all over the play set. Everything she was seeing was adding up. She reckoned by the time she dropped them home the following day that she would have a hefty list of reasons to keep a close eye on this family and see if there was anything she could do for them, even if that meant taking them from their home.
Dave popped his head out the back door. "Okay everyone inside, hands washed and sit up at the table please." He called out to all the kids and then headed back inside.
Penelope and Spencer ran in while JJ and Emily walked behind, again hand in hand. Something that now wasn't surprising Erin. By the time everyone was in the kitchen the older boys had come down. Erin and Derek pulled out the table to make it longer while Dave dished out everyone's servings and the kids took a seat, on one side sat Derek, then Penelope then Spencer. The opposite Derek sat Aaron and next to him was JJ and then Emily. The heads of the table saved for Dave and Erin. The mom and dad brought over the food, putting the plates and cutlery in front of each child before taking a seat. Most of them are digging in eagerly for their food.
"Dad, you shouldn't drink coffee." Spencer told his father after he saw him bring the coffee mug to his lips.
"Why's that Spence?" He asked curiously.
He looked to his dad seriously "Because 20% of mugs contain faecal bacteria. So, when you're drinking coffee there's a chance you're drinking poop too." He said looking happy with the new thing he had been able to learn today.
Dave paused before moving his coffee cup away from him while there were some small giggles around the table. "No talk of poop at the table please." He said now put off his drink, probably for the next couple of days, if not a couple of months.
"Where did you find that out?" Erin asked the little factfinder.
"In school we were doing research in class on the computers, and I finished first so I was looking up some facts. I know loads of new facts about poop now." Spencer was a lot smarter than his peers even in a higher grade so it was often he was finishing his class work and had lots of spare time to read or research things which interested him that day.
"Maybe later you can share some of those not while we are eating though." Erin told him eyebrows raised. She knew he knew not to say gross facts at the table they had this discussion before. At the small reprimand the 3 Hotchner children froze slightly, but when seeing nothing bad was happening, they relaxed a little.
"I have another cool fact, not about poop though." He smiled as another interesting thing had come to his head.
The salt and pepper haired man asked, turning to his youngest child. Hoping it wasn't another disgusting fact. "What is it?"
"If a koala pees on you, there's a chance you can be infected with chlamydia." The boy said innocently before having another forkful of his dinner.
Derek let out a loud roar of laughter, Aaron chuckling too, understanding what the big word the young boy had said. Dave tried to hide his laughter while Erin coughed choking a little on her food she had been eating at the time. Penelope, Emily and JJ sat watching not sure what had been so funny. "No more facts at the table Spence." Dave chuckled, shaking his head as he spoke.
"Mom?" Penelope said, turning to her mom who was no longer coughing.
"Yes sweetheart?"
"What's chlamydia?"
"I'll tell you when you're older." She quickly wanted to change the conversation so turned to everyone. "How's your dinner?"
"It's amazing, thank you Erin, thank you Dave." Aaron said gratefully, thankful to be eating something different instead of the same meal they usually ate day in and day out. He was enjoying the food and it showed his plate was already half empty.
Erin turned to the smallest Hotchner, she sat with her head down, she hadn't even picked up her fork yet. For a moment she wondered if the girl was praying "JJ, don't you like it? I can make you something else." She asked, wondering why the tiny 8-year-old wasn't eating. Aaron turned looking to his little sister frowning, then looking to Emily who was eating some but still fiddling with her food, a lightbulb went off in his head.
How could he have forgotten what their dad had said just a few days prior which had affected the girls greatly to the point most mealtimes he had to prompt them to eat. "JJ, come on you have to eat to get big and strong. You too Emily. Please eat your dinner." He begged them. He didn't want to create a scene so he hoped the small nudge would encourage them to eat more than they were. He picked up JJ's fork and stabbed some pasta onto it and waved it in front of JJ's mouth. For the first time since arriving JJ let out a little chuckle and slowly opened her mouth taking the food.
"Here." He passed the cutlery to JJ so she could now feed herself, and he observed as the two ate up, so he continued.
Erin and Dave watched the whole thing, they kept quiet. It could be talked about later.
The rest of the evening, Derek and Aaron were playing a video game, it had just started to rain when they decided they could go play a quick game of football. Aaron for a while was actually feeling like a teen and was enjoying himself. The younger kids decided to play a board game of monopoly, with Penelope getting sent to jail every other turn.
"That's not fair! Why do I always get sent to jail?" Penelope exclaimed, as she went to jail for the tenth time.
"Maybe because you keep landing on the 'Go to Jail' slot?" Spencer told her, like it was obvious.
Penelope huffed standing up. "Well then I'm not playing this stupid game." She exclaimed, pushing the board game harshly off the table and storming off. Emily and JJ who had been playing together on one team flinched as the board went flying off the table. They both got down from the table starting to pick up the money and pieces which were scattered on the ground.
"Penelope Grace Rossi." Dave shouted to the girl gaining her attention before she could get to the stairs.
Penelope turned around to face her father. "What." She groaned.
"Come in here now and clean up this mess!" He called out to his daughter. His blonde child rolled her eyes as she stomped her feet making her way back to the table where they had all been playing the game moments earlier.
"It's okay sir we have it. We can clean it up." Emily said quickly.
Erin got down on the floor in front of Emily and JJ who were picking everything up and very slowly put a hand on top of their frantic ones. "It's okay, you didn't make the mess. Penelope did, so she will clean it up." She looked at JJ whose eyes were wide, and Emily who was trembling. "How about we go and make some hot chocolate?" the mother suggested to the two girls.
"Can I have some too, mom?" Spencer asked.
"Sure, come on. Let's head into the kitchen." The girls slowly stood and walked with Erin and Spencer into the kitchen while Penelope stayed behind with Dave to clean up. They both kept looking behind worried for their friend. Was this where Dave beat her up now, he was alone with her? They wondered if they should go back in and help her clean up? They needed Aaron.
As if on que Aaron and Derek walked into the kitchen chuckling at something they must have been talking about. "Oh mom, are you making hot chocolate?" Derek asked her.
"Of course I am."
"Man, you have to try it. My mom makes thee best hot chocolate you ever tasted." Derek tells his friend as he makes his way to one of the stools taking a seat, then lifting his brother into the seat next to him. Aaron followed but stopped when he got to his sisters.
Erin laughed. "Would you like some Aaron?"
"If it's not too much fuss." He smiled, placing a hand on Emily's shoulder now he was standing with them.
"Of course not." Erin got back to her task.
Aaron looked down at his sisters frowning when he saw the worry on their faces and how they kept looking back into the dining room where Dave was standing, arms crossed and Pen was on the floor gathering pieces of the game. "What's up?" He asked. He wondered what had happened while he had been outside.
"Don't worry about Penelope." Erin said, seeing what was happening. "She's just cleaning up her mess and then she'll probably be in here to apologise for her behaviour." She told him without looking up from the pot in front of her, stirring the drink.
"Oh. Okay."
The eldest Rossi looked to his mother. "Did she have a tantrum again?" It was a frequent thing at the moment from the middle child. Tantrums, throwing things and stomping around.
"It doesn't matter Derek." Dave called from the dining room. He could hear everything, only a room away.
"She must be going through puberty, her hormones are heightened all the time." Spencer told everyone innocently.
Erin ignored her son's response going back to making the special drink while Aaron picked up his youngest sister sitting her on a stool and Emily climbed on one. The older brother stood to their side. The kids all sat watching Erin as she made her incredibly special drink which the Rossi's loved.
Once made she put it in cups for everyone adding mini marshmallows around the outside of everyone's drinks and adding a little special something, which she hoped JJ and Emily would love once they saw it. She handed each mug out and watched as JJ's eyes went wide.
"Emmy." She whispered to her big sister getting on her knees on her stool looking into Emily's mug and then looking into her own seeing the sparkles in them.
Erin had added edible glitter into the girls' drinks. She would have added it into Spencer's too but last time she did that the young boy had complained massively, however Penelope loved it, so she figured the two girls, younger than her would too.
"What's up JJ?" Emily asked, smiling at her sister's wide eyes and smile.
"It's fairy dust!" The tiny blonde said in awe. Aaron chuckled at his sister and Emily smiled too. It was nice even for a few minutes for them to all have smiles on their faces. It wasn't too often at home that could happen.
The mother smiled. She was glad she had finally gotten the guests to relax a little. The longer they were here the more they came out of their shells.
"You best drink it all up JJ, I bet the fairy dust has magic powers." Emily told her sister. Smiling when JJ sipped the drink.
For a little while everything was fine. Everyone drank their hot chocolate while Derek and Spencer told funny stories, or Spencer told more gross facts which had people laughing. It was almost normal.
Bedtime came quickly after that. Because everyone had been playing outside everyone had been sent for showers. Emily helped JJ with her shower before having one herself, and Aaron got one in Derek's room after he had finished in his own shower. Sorting sleeping arrangements had been difficult.
Aaron was sleeping on the pull-out bed in Derek's room, the two had been told they could play a couple video games before going to bed. Spencer was in his own room already asleep, being one of the youngest, he had the earlier bedtime. The three girls were going to be sharing a room that night, but within 10 minutes JJ was in tears.
"What's wrong?" Erin asked.
The older brother made an appearance "She's never been to a sleepover before. Usually, I put her to bed because my dad works." He said partially lying.
Erin nodded. "Would you prefer Aaron putting you to bed in here, or in your own room? I know it can be scary sharing a room where you don't know the person too well."
"C-Could we share a room?" Emily stuttered.
"Of course, you can." Erin stood up, the Hotchner girls got up from the pull-out bed. "Pen lie down. I'll come tuck you in, in a second." The mother placed a kiss on the top of her daughter's head and moved out the room. "This way." Down the hallway was a guest room with a big double bed. "Is this room okay for you all? It's got a nice big bed."
"This is perfect. Thank you, Erin." Aaron smiled, shuffling his sisters into the room toward the bed.
"You're welcome, you know where I am if you need me." Erin left the room closing the door slightly
"Alright munchkin, come here and lay down." Aaron lifted his sister, putting her on the bed. "You too Em." He tucked the sheets in around them before climbing on the bed so JJ was in the middle, he started stroking her long blonde hair a little hoping it would assist JJ in going to sleep in the Rossi home. "Have you had a good day here?" He asked, keeping some light conversation.
"They seem nice. Dave's a little scary but it was nice to hang with Penelope and Spencer." Emily said honestly, laying on her side to face her younger sister wrapping one arm around her.
Aaron looked down to his younger sibling. "What about you JJ?"
"I liked dinner." She sighed happily, probably thinking back to the meal.
"You did huh?"
"Can we have food like that at home?" She asked softly, looking between both older siblings. Laying in the middle like this was her favourite place. She felt safe.
"I'll try and learn to make it."
"Did you do your project?" Emily asked. She remembered that's why they had come over here originally, and most of the afternoon and evening Aaron had been with his friend.
"Yeah, with the two of us working together we got it done pretty quick." He smiled when he saw JJ fast asleep and he could see Emily was trying to fight it off too. "Close your eyes and go to sleep, I'm going to go play some video games with Derek, but I'll come back in later on." He carefully stood up not wanting to disturb them too much.
"Okay."
At the door he turned to Emily. "I love you both."
Emily smiled sleepily. "We love you too."
When Aaron walked in the room Derek put down his game controller. "Hey man, your sister, okay?" Derek asked. He had heard the girl cry and watched as his friend rushed out the room to see what was wrong.
"Yeah," Aaron sighed. "She's never had a sleepover before, so she was a little scared." He said honestly.
"Ah, they both seem sweet. Nicer than my sister for sure. She's weird." Derek told Aaron.
"Penelope's cool, she seems nice like my sisters." Aaron told his friend. He hadn't spent too much time with Pen, but the time he had he enjoyed.
"When she wants." Derek groaned and rolled his eyes, before chuckling a little. He turned to Aaron wanting to ask a question he'd been thinking all day. "Are they always together like that?"
Aaron nodded slightly. "Yeah, JJ never knew her mom, so I think that's why she sticks with Emily. Plus, she's anxious around new people so…" He said trying not to lie too much but trying not to give away too much of their home life. Aaron knew if he lied too much there was a chance it could seem unrealistic, and he didn't want that because then there would be questions he couldn't answer.
"Yeah, you can tell. She barely spoke. She wasn't like this at the park." Derek remembered back to seeing them at the park. JJ had been bubbly and excitable, Emily had been full of smiles and the two girls were attached at the hip like they had been at his home.
The dark-haired teen nodded. "We go to that park all the time. She knows the place, but she doesn't really know it here, so you know." Aaron hoped that excuse worked for his friend. Because he couldn't tell him the real reason JJ was probably scared was because of his dad, and because she was scared, she was going to get punished and beaten just like at home. Whereas at the park nothing of the sort had happened there so she didn't fear it.
"Yeah, that's understandable, I guess. Spencer was like that when he first moved here. He was so anxious. As you can tell he isn't anymore." Derek thought back to when his little brother had come to live with them a couple of years prior. How he hid, how he would cry. He grabs the controllers "Alright, games! I can't believe you've never played on an Xbox."
"Well come on teach me how to play. I want to win." Aaron laughed, grabbing one of the remotes from Derek ready to learn.
Erin had finished checking on everyone. She double checked Spencer who was fast asleep, lightly snoring, then Penelope who was already sprawled starfish in her bed. She checked on her guests. The two girls fast asleep, JJ lay on her stomach and Emily lay on her side one arm over her sister. Then she checked on the older boys who were sitting on Derek's bed playing a racing game on his Xbox. She had told them they had another couple hours and then they needed to turn the game off. Trusting them because they both seemed to be sensible.
It was finally time for her to be climbing into bed. She crawled in groaning when all her muscles could finally relax.
Dave put down his book, turning to his wife. "Everyone asleep?"
"Apart from the older boys, yes, but I told them they had a couple hours." She told her husband, moving close to him curling into his side. "I'm worried about them." Erin said, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen upon them.
"What can we do?" Dave asked his wife.
"I don't know. I don't want to call CPS and cause trouble for them. I need them to be safe before I do that."
"So, call them now. While they are here." Dave shrugged.
"But I'm not 100% sure that something is going on. I heard Derek and Aaron talking before, apparently their mother did while giving birth to JJ. That could explain JJ's behaviour I guess, but the two girls, they keep flinching."
"They could just not like loud noises."
"I thought you believed me." Erin protested sitting up slightly to look at her husband.
Dave laughed and shook his head pulling his wife back down to relax. Ever since Dave had known Erin, she was extremely passionate about children and helping them. She had wanted to go into social work or something where she could help children, but after finding she was unable to carry her own children and adopting Derek, she decided to become a stay-at-home mom, wanting to be ask actively involved in her children's life as possible. "I do." He reassured her. "I'm just trying to help you explore everything possible before we get involved and possibly uproot their whole lives. We need to be sure before we can do something."
The blonde mother sighed. Her husband was right, they couldn't just act without being sure. Then an idea came into her head. "We need to get into their home."
"How do you plan to do that?" The slowly greying man asked.
"I was thinking of asking Derek to start doing the windows, cutting the grass, you know the stuff we would pay someone to do. We could ask Aaron too and I could maybe ask to talk to their father, you know to check it's okay I have him doing those jobs." She explained her idea to her husband hoping he wouldn't reject her idea. It wasn't too risky. All it needed was a conversation with the Hotchner's father. Maybe then she could learn more about the children.
Dave nodded but turned his head to look his wife in the eyes. "You need to be careful you can't go snooping through someone's home. It could put you in danger." He didn't want his wife getting hurt. He understood her kind nature, but she needed to be safe too.
"I know. I'm just going to talk, see if I can see anything. Maybe if Aaron and the girls spend more time here then they will open up to us."
"Maybe. If you do it, give me a heads up."
"Don't worry I will."
"Rest, tomorrow is a new day." Dave gave his wife a kiss before closing his eyes, falling asleep with the thought of the troubled children in his mind trying to figure out what was the best thing they could do for the family.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed part 1 and part 2, and I hope that makes up for the lack of update. already planning on getting the next chapter started and hopefully published soon! leave a review, and cyber cookies or brownies for those that do!
CriminalMindsFan88
