(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)
Since 80 chapters is pretty monumental I thought it was time for what some of you have been waiting for...
Disneyland!
I gotta do it. There will be a trilogy (probably more now)of Disney chapters so expect to see more coming you way. (Also, it would be too much to fit in one.)
Mob86 suggested this as well as others in the past (who I'm really sorry I can't remember,) and Diana who suggested Lego land but I'm going a bit bigger.
Before I start can we all applaud Uncle Rossi for paying for this trip and a silent prayer for his wallet too.
Enjoy!
"How did he persuade Strauss? One or two of us, maybe, but not the whole team."
Aaron slung the biggest suitcase into the trunk then held his arms out expectantly for the other. JJ lifted one of the boys trunkies and handed it to Aaron.
"Just go with it. We have a whole week off, five of those days at Disney World!" she said, handing him the second trunkie. "I don't need to know how."
Aaron huffed and jimmied the luggage together.
"Come on! We need to go!" Jack called from the backseat. The boys had decided to get in the car already, too excited to wait any longer.
They had a charged-up portable DVD player with three DVDS and a couple of books and gadgets between them. Aaron hoped it kept them occupied for most of the trip.
Spencer was leaning against his car-seat, looking out of the window quietly. He'd only just woken up before getting in the car, the boys had woken him just ten minutes before. Aaron offered him a thumbs up as he got into the front. Spencer just blinked back before managing two uncoordinated thumbs up.
"No fighting boys, it's going to be a long trip."
They managed to get three hours into the trip when Henry started whining about needing the toilet. The day was starting to break at that point and Spencer had woken up fully after their five am start.
The rest of the team stopped with them and they got a McDonald's if only to appease the boys, although Derek was rather pleased with his large milkshake.
"How much longer is it?" grumbled Henry as they made their way back to the cars. Morgan snorted a little, nearly choking on his drink.
JJ smiled sympathetically. "A lot longer, sweetie. You should try and get some sleep," she said. Henry huffed into his own vanilla milkshake and marched forward to the car.
Spencer, his hand in Aaron's, worked out how much longer it would be. "It'll only be eight houws and twenty-minutes, Henwy," he said and Aaron quickly put his hand over the boy's mouth.
"What!?" Henry snapped his head back, looking as if he were about to throw his milkshake down and start having a tantrum. "That's forever!"
"Don't worry, Henry, we'll be there before you know it."
Aaron looked down at Spencer who gave a guilty smile, "Sowwy," he mumbled.
Aaron shook his head with a grin and ruffled Spencer's hair.
It was another three stops later that they were finally pulling into a Denny's for dinner, a twenty minute drive from their hotel.
The boys were first to the door, waiting there for the others to catch up.
"Slow coaches!" Henry called as he jiggled the door handle. Spencer giggled quietly, hiding his little face in his hand.
"Hey, do you want dinner, mister?" JJ said as she took the handle and pushed inside.
She took Henry's hand before he could speed ahead and Aaron took Jack and Spencer's hands (much to the older boy's dismay.)
"Table for nine?" JJ asked as she got to the service counter and a round woman grinned and pulled out several menus.
"Three kids menus?" she asked, reaching over to a small bucket of crayons.
"Please," Aaron said as he let Jack's hand go. The boy was tugging away, his cheeks red.
"And a high chair."
They were seated at a window table and Aaron made sure to pull the high-chair next to him.
"You stretching your legs, pretty boy?" Morgan looked over at Spencer as he took his own seat. Spencer was taking long steps alongside Aaron and twisted his little feet each time they stopped.
Spencer nodded with a smile. "I've been sitting too long," he said.
"Ain't that right."
Emily tucked herself into a chair beside Morgan and Henry hopped into the one on his other side.
"Henry, maybe it's better you should sit by me."
"He's fine here, JJ. Do you think I'm a bad influence or somthin'?" Morgan asked, smirking at JJ and ruffling Henry's hair. JJ sent him a pointed look but didn't say anything.
She scooted her chair closer to Aaron so Penelope could slide into the seat next to her. Dave sat one end and Jack (who grabbed his seat before anyone else) sat the opposite end, next to Henry and Spencer.
Aaron and JJ exchanged a grimace, deciding it was perhaps a bad idea to have the three boys and Morgan sat together.
"I want chicken!" Henry called, ripping open his menu and ignoring almost all the options, stabbing his finger on the picture of nuggets.
"Me too," said Spencer, too busy solving a word search at the back of his menu.
Aaron sighed and took Henrys menu from him.
"Hey!"
"There's spaghetti, it comes with garlic bread. Or a burger-"
"I'm having the chicken, Aaron," Henry snapped.
"We had that last night, buddy, pick something different."
Aaron handed the menu back with a roll of his eyes and the boy scanned it for a moment before turning it and pointing to the picture of chicken nuggets.
"Those please," he said, shutting his menu and turning it around to get to the games on the back.
JJ shook her head at Aaron who looked ready to fight the kid on the subject.
"Sure you don't want a burger, kid? I'm having one," Morgan said to Henry who shrugged his shoulders.
"I want chicken, uncle Derek."
"What are you having, Spencer?"
JJ smiled gratefully at Derek. Before Spencer could answer the waitress was back with a notepad and a hospitable smile.
"Can I get you guys some drinks?"
"Three apple juices for the kids," Aaron said and Henry raised his head and whined.
"I want coke!"
Aaron scowled at the young boy. "Hey, you're getting the chicken, you can't have both."
The rest of the team ordered their drinks, Rossi ordering a single scotch. Spencer reached over and tugged on Aaron's sleeve.
Aaron leaned down when Spencer gave him an awkward, lop-sided smile.
"Tan I get milt?"
Aaron smiled, turning to the waitress. "Could I change one of the juices to a milk please?"
"Sure thing, sugar. Are you ready to order food?"
Henry dropped his crayon and nodded eagerly. "Could I get the chicken nuggets with lots of fries please," he said.
The waitress laughed but write down the order. "Course you can. What about you boys?"
"Spence?"
"Um..." Spencer didn't look at the waitress instead he leaned next to Aaron. "Tan I have the nuggets too? Lite Henwy?"
Aaron sucked his teeth. It looked like Henry was being a little too influential.
"Hey, Spence. I'm having the spaghetti. They put loads of cheese on it. I think you'd like it."
Aaron raised his eyebrows in surprise at his eldest son. Jack showed his menu to Spencer and pointed out the spaghetti. Spencer pulled his bottom lip under his teeth.
"Awe you weally having it too?" he asked, looking up to Jack with a conflicted expression.
Jack nodded, closing his menu. "Yea, nuggets are so boring!"
"Are not!" countered Henry, his voice high with offence.
"Yea, they are!"
"Boys," Aaron warned sharply. Spencer smiled and pointed to the spaghetti on his menu.
"Tan I have the spa... spadetti lite Jack, p'ease?"
"Great choice, buddy," Aaron said, sending a quiet 'thank you,' Jack's way.
"Looks like Spencer's going through a lost puppy phase," Emily said quietly. Spencer was already joining the lines on his dot-to-dot.
"Hmm?" JJ said, looking Spencer's way.
"Copying the boys," Emily added.
"Oh right," said Aaron. "Yea, he's been doing that a lot lately."
"It's cute," Penelope said. "As if he wasn't adorable enough already."
"I still can't believe Strauss signed us off on this trip," Emily muttered, leaning back in her chair with a grin.
"No need to thank me," Dave said smugly.
Morgan laughed. "Alright, just don't tell us how you convinced her, I don't think I wanna know."
JJ rolled her eyes at that. She glanced at the boys, Henry was still occupied with his menu while Jack and Spencer were talking quietly. She heard a snippet and deduced that they were talking about Disney.
Their food and drinks came after fifteen minutes which JJ and Aaron were thankful for after Spencer started getting rowdy, trying to escape his chair.
"Two spaghetti bolognese's," the waitress chimed, placing Jack's in front of him then handing Aaron Spencer's.
"Looks... good," Henry mumbled as his nuggets were put in front of him.
Aaron raised an eyebrow his way as he cut Spencer's up a bit so the kid wouldn't struggle with the spaghetti strands.
"No complaining, Henry," JJ said as Henry reached out for the ketchup with a sulky expression.
As soon as Aaron put Spencer's bowl in front of him the kid had his fork straight in.
Aaron didn't understand how, in the time between Spencer and his meal's arrival, the kid had already got spaghetti in his bangs.
After they finished their meals and Garcia had taken Spencer to the restroom for a cleanup (in which Spencer had gained three female admirers from his adorably awkward smiles,) they started to discuss their plans for the coming days.
Aaron took Spencer from Garcia and placed him back in his high-chair.
"Nu-uh," Spencer grumbled.
"Uh-huh, Spencer. You can sit in that a bit longer."
Spencer folded his arms and glared at Aaron who was already turning to Dave who had one of the Disney brochures open on the table.
"There's so much to do," JJ said as she squinted at the upside down map.
"Are we gone do it all?" asked jack anxiously, his hands wrapping around each other as he watched the adults deliberate.
Morgan turned and winked his way.
"If your folks are slow you and me can go ahead. Stick with me, kid, and you won't miss anything."
"Within reason" Aaron added, not entirely trusting the younger agent's judgement.
Dave studied part of the map, wondering where their hotel was located in regards to the maps while Emily leaned over his shoulder, looking for the nearest exits at each place in case they had to get out of there.
After some patience at not being able to see the brochure, Garcia politely snatched the map up from Dave. She smiled apologetically as she laid it out over their empty plates. Spencer hopped up on his seat to get a glimpse of the extensive map. Aaron was quick to grab the kids waist, not wanting a hospital trip as part of their holiday.
"Wow... so," Garcia turned to the big family with a grin. "What park are we visiting first?"
There was a moment's silence before everyone started talking at once, each trying to get their two cents into the decision.
Spencer looked back at Aaron with a frown and the older man pulled him into his lap.
"What's wrong, buddy?" Aaron asked, unconsciously carding a hand through Spencer's clean curls.
Spencer leaned back against Aaron's chest and whispered, "whewe's the Staw-Waws place?"
Aaron chuckled. He looked over at the map the others were squabbling over. "Hmmm," he muttered. "I'd say Hollywood Studios or... that other one, you see? But I've never been Spencer so I don't know."
"Oh... tan we go there sometime? I don't wanna miss it."
"Sure we can"
"Magic kingdom it is! Shhhh Morgan, this is a Disney world trip, you can go to universal another time."
Morgan threw a glare Garcia's way then went back to picking meat off his barbecue ribs, this time in a sulky manner.
"What's dewe?" asked Spencer as he tried to squint at the map again. Rossi picked it up and turned it for Spencer, pointing to the magical kingdom.
"That, kiddo, is the magical kingdom. It says that the castle is there."
"Magic kingdom," corrected Garcia. Dave just shrugged and showed the boys the map.
They got to their hotel just after six. In Aaron and JJ's car there were two sleeping boys and a very quiet Henry. Derek had Penelope with him and Dave was with Emily, their cars holding some of the boys' extra luggage since Aaron's car wasn't big enough.
Aaron hopped out of the car and went around to Jack's side, waking him gently and coaxing him out.
"Quiet ride? It was only like twnety-five minutes," Morgan called as JJ pulled Spencer into her arms along with his stuffed rabbits. JJ nodded and motioned to Spencer, mouthing that he was sleeping.
Morgan winked at her and started unloading his car.
"Go with Dave and get the room key. You can take the boys up to bed then," whispered Aaron as he went to their own trunk.
By the time JJ got to their rooms Henry was a ball of energy again. He threw himself up the ladder of the bunk beds and took claim to the top bunk loudly. Jack just slumped down on the bottom bunk and curled up on himself while Henry pulled different things out and displayed them excitedly to the older boy.
They were staying at the Port Orleans hotel, after Aaron's pursuaion for Dave not to have them stay at the most expensive hotel.
Luckily Spencer was still sleeping and JJ walked over to the crib already set up and pulled the side down. Rossi had mentioned that they had a younger child (since there was a deal for under threes,) and so their situation was unfortunately a crib for Spencer. JJ was thankful he was still asleep and that she could easily lay him down rather than have him whine about it.
She tucked his rabbits beside him, glad they had changed the boys into their pyjamas while at Denny's. She tucked Spencer's stray hair behind his ear before turning to Henry.
"Henry, use the ladder to get down!"
I'll leave it there. I can't make any promises on chapters since exams are coming up. I am, however, hoping to have an update for ALL of my stories on Christmas Day, my Christmas present to you guys. But I've got quite some work to do before then.
