Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds

A/N: Wow! I didn't think people would be up for a sequel! I'm gonna be a little honest, it's almost sad that this story within a week has more follows and favorites than LMHYW, but it's a sequel from my first story, so I shouldn't be surprised lol.

Here's chapterr threee!

Things were settling down. Dave successfully moved in next door to the Hotchner family. He was still retired from law, but planned on becoming an author of lengthy young adult novels. Hotch understood, ever since he was in his early twenties he knew that his old mentor had a knack for writing. Hey, maybe his oldest daughter could read his books and critique them. She loved to read, and she was brutally honest. What's not to like? Sure, Spencer loved to read as well, but he felt he was too young for the books he was planning to write.

He knows that Dave is a good guy, he is kind, he is intelligent, and he was always there for him and Haley. But even Hotch had to admit—Dave could be a wild guy. Dave told him stories about his old days back in high school and in college about the things he'd done. He wasn't disrespectful, he always treated women with respect, but he was a notorious prankster. Hell, back when Dave was a teacher he'd pull pranks on other professors.

Hotch figured Dave was like the fun uncle that would let the kids get away with anything.

The sanity in his home was fun while it lasted, though that's not saying much.

When the kids saw the Jensen's one final time, they all cheered as Mr. Jensen floored his car, with Derek cheering the loudest. For this to happen was equivalent to Christmas coming early. The phrase made sense, since Christmas wasn't coming for a month. The question though, is whether anyone going to really miss them. Here's the truthful answer:

Spencer may have thrown a snowball at his car.

Derek couldn't stop laughing.

Haley didn't find it amusing, and she sent glaring daggers to Derek and her husband who thought it was. Sometimes, Haley felt like she had five children.

"He told me too!" Spencer said, pointing his finger at Derek.

Derek gasped, his mouth wide open at the accusation. "What?! I did not! Kid, why are you telling lies, man?!"

"Boys behave or I'll ground you both," JJ said, doing an impression of Haley as well as she could muster.

Emily snickered and handed her a dollar.

Haley sighed at this exchange, but did she expect any less?

Thanksgiving was coming up shortly—the time for Dave to show up couldn't have been better. Haley had already started making the thanksgiving turkey, and was already planning what other meals she could make for her family. She just hoped it'd be drama free, but she should know better, drama is inevitable in the Hotchner family.

Though she wouldn't change it for the world.

Penelope woke up outside with her back against a large garbage can, and a small ratty blanket that only covered her legs. She heard the sounds of cars honking loudly, and the sounds of people shouting. In this neighborhood, this was the norm. Only when she looked around outside, she didn't see Stephen and Shane. What she did find, however, was a small note on a piece of cardboard in the alley they were staying at.

Finding cash.

We'll back soon.

Take care of yourself.

~Stephen and Shane.

Penelope smiled a little bit to herself, she knew that Stephen always wrote these little notes. Out of the three of them, Stephen was the most literate. Although they can read and write, it was Stephen who understood the most.

Penelope sighed and rolled her eyes when she processed the note. How was she going to find a way to make some money today? Penelope figured she could steal some jewelry and sell it, but she's pretty sure people are on to her about that. What to do...what to do...

The wind harshly pressed against Penelope's skin, making her shiver. Ugh, it was only November! Why was the weather this bad? It wasn't even Thanksgiving yet, and Penelope was freezing as if it were the middle of January. Penelope was by herself, Shane and Stephen went somewhere to find some extra crash, so everyone would normally go their separate ways and meet up later. It was unsafe, but they were alone in the morning and afternoon, opposed to the night.

"Pssst...hey girlie," Penelope snapped quickly around to come face to face with an older man, who looked to be about in early forties. Penelope wasn't stupid, her reflexes have improved since she became homeless, a trait that was all too common. You didn't know whether you were going to be mugged, attacked, or whatever else. Penelope knew she had to be prepared for anything.

"What?" She heard the warning bells ring in her head as he smiled at her, showing his yellow teeth. She openly winced, having to bring her head up in order to look into his eyes.

"Twenty bucks," is what he said, "—for just a kiss on the cheek." Penelope gulped. This was something new that someone was asking her for. She heard the horror stories of what these things turned into. But...twenty bucks was a lot money. She had never seen a twenty dollar bill before in her life. When the man saw her not answering, he put his hands in his pockets, appearing annoyed. "Or...I can always call the foster homes, they can take you away, but I'm sure that's not what you want, right?" Penelope shook her head, she didn't want that. What was she going to tell Shane and Stephen?

The man grinned and pulled out a twenty. "Kiss me on the cheek."

She winced as she brought her lips to his cheek, her face going red as she felt his lips curl up into another twisted smile, but was satisfied when the man put a twenty in her coat pocket and walked away. Penelope reached into her pocket and stretched out the crumpled twenty dollar bill and looked at it with awe.

She met up with Shane and Stephen, who came up with a measly three dollars, at night. They sat down in their usual spot they've grown accustomed to, but the three of them knew that they'd have to bounce soon, since people may get suspicious and call CPS. Shane and Stephen showed Penelope the three dollars. "I figured we get one chocolate bar each, it's not much, but it's something," said Shane.

"What about you, Pen?" Stephen asked with a smile, still proud of the money they got.

Penelope grinned weakly and showed them the twenty dollar bill. Stephen gasped and broke into a very wide smile than before, the corners of his mouth reaching his eyes. Shane grinned and nodded in approval. "What did you do, dig up a gold mine?" He said jokingly, yet his voice held the curiosity of where the money came from. She felt her heart race, she was not about to tell them the truth of where the money came from.

"I went into a rich part of town," Penelope lied. "It fell out of someone's pocket." she set out to change the subject as quick as possible. "So how about those chocolate bars?"

Shane laughed uproaringly and snatched the bill out of Penelope's hands and bore his eyes into it. "With this—we can have a Thanksgiving feast!"

"That's tomorrow."

"—for tomorrow!" Shane echoed partially as soon as Stephen corrected him.

Penelope didn't know if she was truly lucky.

Tomorrow came, and Emily woke up early and offered to help her mother with making food for Thanksgiving. As soon as she met with Haley in the kitchen, she said:

"Alright, teach me how to not burn down a kitchen."

Haley took a couple of breaths in and out to steady herself. This was going to be a long Thanksgiving. Then again, she was thankful that Emily was helping her, and she'd be able to teach her while having a mother-daughter bonding time. She took out the vegetables, and handed her daughter and small knife. "Start with cutting the carrots," she says, "Then you'll work your way up. Just make sure you keep the knife away from yourself. With your left hand, make a fist and hold the piece of carrot down. You don't want to accidentally cut your fingers."

"Like this?" Asked Emily, as she cut the carrot slowly into even pieces.

Haley nodded, inspecting them with an approving smile. "Yes. That's perfect!"

"That's great—but when can I actually cook stuff?" Inquired Emily, finding the process of cutting vegetables boring after a while.

"Cooking isn't just about popping things into an oven," advised Haley. "It takes time and patience, as well as cutting and chopping things up."

"Can I at least put something in a microwave?" Whined Emily, as if she didn't hear what her mother said. "I won't blow anything up, I promise."

Haley sighed, but nodded. "Well...I guess you can make Spencer's Mac 'N Cheese later, knowing that's probably the only thing he'll eat." Emily grinned, and resumed her task of cutting vegetables. At this point, JJ had woken up, running into the kitchen.

"Good morning. Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Happy Thanksgiving," was what Emily said simply. Truthfully, she was more focused on her task to acknowledge anyone.

"Happy Thanksgiving, JJ!" Haley cheered, stopping her work to peck her on the cheek and give her a hug. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good," said JJ, peering over the table to see what Haley and Emily were doing. "Can I help?" Haley thought about it for a minute, something that could keep her busy and occupied.

"You can help us with afternoon snacks," answered Haley. "Get the box of Ritz crackers, and place them in rows of five, and in each row there's seven crackers."

"Thirty five crackers," JJ said knowingly.

"Good," praised Haley. "When you're done, I'll tell you what to do next." The little blonde girl nodded and did what she was asked.

"Emily," Emily looked up from what she was doing and noticed Haley brought out salami, ham, cheese, and turkey, all in small form that has yet to be cut. "Cut these into small pieces for the crackers. Five salami, five cheese, five ham, and five turkey."

"No problem," said Emily, starting with the ham.

"No, no, no!" Spencer cried in his sleep, twisting and turning in his bed so hard that Derek thought he was about to fall off. Thankfully, he had woken up in time to notice that his little brother was having a nightmare. He knew how Spencer felt about touch, it depended on the day, really. But he was praying that it wasn't a bad day when he reached to shake Spencer's shoulder. "Kid..."

Spencer shot upright, almost making Derek flinch by the sudden action, with his eyes wide and frightened. "Mommy!" Derek rubbed his shoulder soothingly, and was thankful when Spencer leaned into his comforting touch. "I'll get mom."

"You can't!" Spencer cried out, "She's not here! She's away, remember?"

Oh.

Derek decided that now was a good time for a pep talk. "Well you saw her two days ago, didn't you? And..." Derek paused, choosing his next words carefully. "...Our mom arranged for you to write letters to her everyday, so it's not like you'll never see her again or hear from her."

"Yeah, but..." Spencer drew his knees to his chest. "It's still hard."

Derek nodded sympathetically. "I know, kid. I know." They sat in silence after that, he figured Spencer was trying to take a moment to understand his emotions and feelings. Whenever his emotions caught him, his therapist recommended that he sit quietly to reevaluate himself. After a minute, his eyes met Derek's, "Want to go in the living room?"

Derek nodded, staying quiet. For Spencer's sake, as well as his own.

"Penelope, wake up! It's Thanksgiving!" Penelope's groaned as Shane oh-so cheerfully woke her up at what probably was minutes after he woke up. The only reason why he was so happy in the first place was because of the twenty that she got over doing something disgusting, kissing a forty year old man. Not that she was ever going to tell them, of course. Still, she should wake up whenever the hell she wanted.

"We're going to McDonald's," Stephen stated while stretching.

"But...I don't like meat," Penelope protested tiredly.

"Get a side salad," Shane said, with some insensitivity. "–or those hash browns. They have good hash browns."

Penelope huffed but said nothing.

"I can't wait to get a nice Big Mac," grinned Shane.

This time, Penelope spoke. "It's too early for hamburgers, Shane. We should wait 'till eleven."

"Pen," Stephen said slowly, as if he were talking to a child. "...it's eleven thirty."

Shit. Had she slept through most of the morning? Why did she feel so tired?

"Oh," was all the plump blonde could say back. Penelope's gaze went back and forth from Shane to Stephen awkwardly. "Well...let's go, I guess." The three of them walked into McDonald's and ordered whatever they wanted, as long as their meals combined together were less than twenty three dollars. They savored their meals, enjoying the taste of them while it lasted. The three of them felt so satisfied and content, believing their money was well spent. Even then, they had some change left over—seventy two cents.

"We're going to collect bottles after this," Shane ordered the two, as he took another bite of his burger. "—If we collect enough, we might make more than a dollar and—"

"Could we finish eating first?" Stephen interrupted. "Kinda enjoying my good here, and we might as well enjoy it now, we don't know when our next meal is."

For once, Shane listened to Stephen, as they continued their Thanksgiving dinner in silence.

Thanksgiving at McDonald's.

Huh.

That's not unusual.

"Who makes pasta for Thanksgiving?!" Haley argued with Dave in the kitchen as he was helping her with the turkey. "Seriously. I don't know anyone who makes pasta for Thanksgiving."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with pasta," Dave defended, pretending to be hurt.

"The pilgrims didn't eat it," supplied Haley. "But thank you for making it for us."

"You can take Dave out of Italy, but you can't take the Italy out of Dave," Hotch joked from the living room as he was watching a football game with Derek.

JJ was on the phone with Sandy, her biological mother. "Yes, so we are getting ready right now for Thanksgiving. The turkey is being brought in right now, but the rest of the table is set." –and what a beautiful sight it was. The table was decorated nicely with two candles on each side of it, surrounded by multiple foods, such as stuffing, chicken salad, roasted potatoes, various vegetables such as carrots, green beans, and squash. There were cranberries, mashed potatoes, and Spencer's Mac 'N Cheese on the side, of course. A large center of the table was empty, meant to be for the traditional Thanksgiving turkey.

"You know, Haley," Dave called, beginning to make a joke as he sat down for. "In a traditional Thanksgiving people had cigarettes and cigars—"

"Don't even think about it, Dave," Haley shouted from the kitchen, yet she knew he was only teasing. "Dinner!" As soon as everyone was settled in their chairs, Haley walked in with the giant turkey and placed it at the center of the table. "Alright now before we eat—"

"Why's do we have pasta here?" Spencer interrupted. "It's not part of Thanksgiving tradition."

"And Mac 'N Cheese is?"

"Dave, don't argue with my five year old, trust me, he'll win," said Hotch.

"It is, by the way, I saw it on an episode of Friends!"

"JJ, you're eight, why are you watching Friends!?" Hotch exclaimed.

"How come Emily gets to watch it?!" JJ whined. "The TV is in our room!"

Haley began to close her eyes and count down from ten.

"Emily, you're no longer allowed to watch Friends with JJ in the room," says Hotch.

Emily's mouth dropped wide open as she huffed. "This wouldn't be a problem if I had my own room!"

Haley didn't even get to seven. "Hello! This is Thanksgiving! We have to say all the things we're thankful for as a family! Derek, you go first."

"Uh, I'm thankful for my family, and how I'm okay with sharing a room—"

"Derek, don't stir the pot," Haley warned. "Spencer?"

Spencer didn't look at anyone as he says, "I'm thankful for my Mac 'N Cheese, and also the pasta, even though it's not Thanksgiving tradition," He didn't notice Dave's horrified look as he continued, "But did you know that Mac 'N Cheese was actually—"

"Sweetie, we're gonna talk about that later, let's just finish saying what we're thankful for. JJ?"

The little girl smiled and held her head up high. "I'm thankful for Friends, family, drawing, and the food!"

Haley beamed. "Aw, it's nice that you remembered your friends!"

JJ made a face. "No. I was talking about the TV show, mommy!"

Haley and Hotch were speechless.

"Since everyone's too shocked to cue me to speak," Emily started off. "I'm thankful for the fact that I'm not in a shi–I mean crappy home with nothing but converse shoes and a hoodie. Also...I am thankful for Friends, the TV show and my actual friends."

"...Very nice," says Haley.

"Make Dave go!" JJ shouted happily.

"Inside voices, JJ," Haley warned gently. "But I agree, Dave should go next."

Dave flashed her and Hotch an amused look. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Absolutely," said Hotch, chuckling.

Dave sighed at the fact that he had to make a speech. "I'm thankful for meeting all four of you, and reuniting with your parents."

Hotch went next. "I'm thankful for my wife, kids, and my best friend." All of the kids awed, except for Emily.

"Don't start kissing," Emily says, making a face.

"Haley and I aren't kissing right now, don't worry," Hotch said with a chuckle.

"I wasn't talking about mom, I was talking about you and Dave."

Haley covered her laughter with a snort.

Dave and Hotch were not amused.

"Haley...just," Hotch sighed, stopping his sentence for a moment. "—just go next so we can just start eating."

"Okay," Haley said, smiling and looking at everyone at the table with love and awe. " I'm thankful for my family. My husband, my children, and...an old friend."

"Are we done now?" Spencer said. "Let's eat!"

"Alright, dig in!"

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A/N- Yes, lengthy. Very lengthy indeed.