Disclaimer- I promise you, I'm not capable of owning Criminal Minds, therefore, I don't.

Please review guys! We're on our way to almost one hundred reviews! If this happens, it'll be faster than it took TTC to get 100 reviews! Let's do it :)

Penelope liked school.

She thought she would hate it, really. She hadn't gone in a very long time, so she assumed that she was going to behind on everything. Penelope wasn't behind on everything, just some things, like how to multiply, how to divide, and to name foreign countries. Thankfully, there was a nice boy named Kevin who took a liking to her and volunteered to help her catch up on things.

Sure, Spencer was nice enough to teach her about math, but sometimes he got too excited when he explained, and that made Penelope more confused than ever. It wasn't the kid's fault, of course, and it was nice to see him getting happy over something. She couldn't exactly go to JJ since she was younger and was awful at math. Derek was a bit too awkward since he knew her biggest secrets, and Emily was far too intimidating for her liking.

"So basically you add seven five times and you get thirty five," Kevin explained, as he added all the sevens in a line. "See? What if you added another seven to that mix? It'd be seven times six, which is...?" Kevin looked at Penelope expectantly, who had the answer.

"Forty two," Penelope supplied.

He smiled. "Great. I don't know why you said you were awful in math, you're really not."

Penelope shrugged. "I'm just not used to school."

"Why not?" Kevin asked curiously.

"Um, well, I'm new here, remember?" Penelope replied. Well, it wasn't a total lie. She was new to the school here, but Kevin didn't need to know the whole drama behind it. "You try being the new kid, it's hard."

"I'm sorry," Kevin says sincerely. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"It's okay," Penelope dismissed, waving it off. "So what do you think of eight times tables? Same thing?"

"Yes, just keep adding eights."

Penelope smiled.

"Derek," says his friend Michael as they were eating lunch in the cafeteria. "Do you think I can come over today?"

"Nah, I don't think so," Derek said sadly.

"This is the third time you've said no, what's going on?" Michael asked.

Derek sighed. "Promise me you won't say anything to the other guys."

"Alright..." Michael trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"There's a new foster girl in our home, and her name's Penelope and all of us are getting settled with her."

"A new foster kid?!" Michael nearly exclaimed, but instead he whispered it loudly. "But I thought that after you came along they were done with that."

"My thoughts too," Derek says, agreeing. "But... she was homeless, and... no one else would take her in, so my family did until a group home is willing to accept her."

"Did your parents say that about you and the rest-"

"Yes," Derek interrupted. "But we don't know what's going to happen, alright? So let's just leave it."

"Jeez, don't be so sensitive," Michael said, with his hands up showing he meant no harm. "Forgive me for missing my best friend."

"I have you know," Derek said, frowning. "That I miss hanging out with you too, man, but other things are going on, alright?"

Michael doesn't say anything.

Smart move.

"Spencer," Maeve said. "What do you think of The Magic Treehouse series? I just started reading the fifth one and it's so exciting! And, I know how much you like to read, so..."

"I've read all of them," Spencer pointed out to his friend. "They're okay, but I like Hamlet better."

"Hamlet?" Maeve said incredulously. "What's that?"

"It's a play by William Shakespeare." Spencer liked Maeve. He liked that Maeve was so fascinated by learning, and how, much like him, was eager for more information. Maeve didn't cut Spencer off when he info dumped about a topic that interested him. Instead, Maeve sat by quietly and listened, smiling in encouragement.

Maeve knew that there was something off with Spencer, but she didn't care. When her daddy was talking to Spencer's adoptive mommy and daddy, there were words exchanged that Maeve didn't understand, like "Spectrum" and "Autism," but it wasn't a problem, since Spencer was still nice to her, as always.

"Didn't he write Romeo and Juliet?" Inquired Maeve, who saw Spencer nod as she continued, her face growing sad. "That was my mommy's favorite play."

"I'm sure your mommy was a good mommy," Spencer said kindly, remembering what his dad told him about being a good friend to Maeve.

Moments like these that would pop up now and then made Maeve smile. Spencer was kind, sweet, and empathetic. She didn't know why other kids were mean to him and shoved him. "Thanks Spencer."

"Boys, boys, boys!" Tara said, her eyes filled with love. "I swear, Ross Carmichael is just so hot! Do you think... do you think he'd let me be his?"

Moments like these, Emily realized, that made her wonder why she was still sticking around Tara Lewis. All she'd talk about, really, was boys. It seemed that Tara had all the luck, while Emily almost got assaulted when she showed an interest in a boy.

More or less, she hated when Tara would talk like this, when Emily knew she knew what had almost happened to her with Ian Doyle. "Tara, you know I don't care about these things."

"Yeah, but this is high school, no?" questioned Tara. "You have to!"

"Last time I checked, this wasn't in the freshman handbook we were given," Emily pointed out, fed up. Right now, she wanted to focus on maintaining her grades. That high ninety in her honors geometry class wasn't from slacking off. But she has been slacking in the science department lately, she hated biology. Emily liked her honor roll status, it was something to be proud of, and she didn't want it snatched away.

So she had no time for boys and drama and all that petty stuff.

"Well it's in the Tara Lewis handbook," Tara pointed out, matter-of-factly. "I need a boyfriend, like, now!"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Maybe Ross is interested in you..." She went back to answering the biology question on the board, hoping that Tara would eventually to pick up on the hint that Emily just didn't care. Or that, maybe, she had other things to worry about, like maintaining high grades to make her parents proud, and her biological parents as well.

"Emily," said Tara, her voice filled with hurt. "You just... are so neglectful lately."

Sighing with guilt, Emily put her pen down and faced her best friend. "I'm sorry, I'm just concerned about my grades, that's all. Mom was telling me before school started about how she would cut class a lot during freshman year, which was actually an important year, despite what people tell you. Then, she met my dad, and he helped her get on the right track, and they began dating. I don't wanna fall down that path, you know?"

Tara nods. "I understand, I'm sorry. But you have to admit, that story is romantic."

Emily groaned, of course Tara would find romance anywhere.

Haley sighed, drumming her fingers against the table in troubling thoughts. Kate had yet to call her about Penelope's case, and it was really beginning to worry her. Not only that, her husband has been on her mind lately. He looked thinner, but in an unhealthy way. He'd get this way whenever he was working hard on a case. So yes, he has always been a workaholic.

Correction, they were not having problems. Both Haley and Hotch were still deeply in love, and that wasn't going to change. But Haley was such a mother, wanting to mother everyone really, and when she sees someone without a full stomach, that worries her.

Her kids were skinny, too. Before they came into her care, her kids were practically malnourished. Even though Penelope was on the plump side, somehow, just somehow, she still looks skinny to Haley. She's starving for love, she needs it. Wait, why was her mind jumping back and forth on this? Wasn't she just talking about her husband? She was not supposed to be... oh goodness.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Haley goes over to answer it, revealing Dave, who casually lets himself into their home. It wasn't disrespectful on his part, a trusted friend over the years was allowed to do that, in Haley's mind.

"Dave, what are you doing here?"

"You haven't come over to mock my cooking yet," Dave said playfully, with a smirk. "That means I know something is on your mind. Aaron would say that constantly."

"Gosh, is that what he says behind my back?" Haley chuckled, but it didn't feel so easy, like it was forced.

Dave saw right through it. "When you drum your fingers against the table like that, that means you're in deep thought." Haley realized that she was, indeed, drumming her fingers against the table out of habit. She stopped immediately and sighed. Dave spoke. "What's on your mind?" He sat down next to her.

"Everything, really," confided Haley. "With the new foster girl were taking in, who's so troubled and has so many secrets. The therapist she has is having trouble getting her to talk. Something is up with Derek, I know it. Believe me when I say a mother knows. Spencer had a meltdown the other day, and JJ has been kind of upset ever since she got an IEP." She finished, nearly out of breath.

Dave took note of everything she said, giving her a proud grin. "I don't know how you do it. But... I'm proud of you. I'm sure everything will work itself out, doesn't it always?"

"Do you notice how skinny Aaron looks, Dave?" Haley asks worriedly. "He's got thinner, he's always working. He never works late, but when he gets home he starts to work and therefore skips through dinner. Tell me not to be concerned."

"Haley, Aaron is at the point in his law career where things get pretty busy," Dave said. "Take it from me. When I was his age, that's when it got pretty demanding."

Haley sighed. "I'm worried about him."

"Believe me, so am I."

"Thanks Dave," Haley said.

"No problem. I'll be right next door if you need me."

"JJ, you know what I heard?" a mean girl with a ratty face sneered at the petite blonde at lunch, while the girl's friends surrounded her, backing her up. "My mommy told me that you're some freak who's disabled, which means you're stupid." The girl's friends laughed, while JJ felt like she was being torn apart inside. What did she ever do to them?

"What do you mean?" JJ innocently asked, but this only made the girls laugh harder.

"Looks like she can't even understand that," one of the girls mocked.

"She's so stupid!" Another girl beside the ratty looking one cackled, the other girls joining in.

"I'm not stupid," JJ said, sounding hurt. "I just... I have trouble with things, and-"

"That means you're stupid," The ratty girl sneered again, as if it were obvious. "You're not very smart, are you? Aren't you at a level M reading level? My brother is six and he's at level O! We're all at level Q, that's really sad."

JJ's felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm not stupid..."

"Yes you are," one of the mean girls persisted. "You can't even multiply numbers right."

"You know what I heard?" The ratty girl said, looking at JJ smugly. "I heard her five year old brother is just a grade behind her and is genius, but he's like, a freak." The girls giggled, and JJ clenched her jaw.

"Don't talk about my brother," JJ said lowly, her fist clenching at her side.

"Why not? Isn't he disabled in some way, like you?" The ratty girl added on, savoring the moment of JJ's displeasure. "My mommy says he's autistic or something, and only freaks are autistic."

Making fun of JJ was harsh enough. But as soon as the evil ratty mean girl Linda Barnes began to make fun of her little brother, that was the final straw.

JJ did not think for a minute, she tightened her fist and swung.

Haley heard her phone ring. She looked at the ID and realized it was the elementary school. At that sight, her heart sank. Something must've happened, because let's face it, something always happens. She flipped her phone open to answer. "Hello?" A pause, she waits patiently. "Yes, this is she..." She continued to wait as the other voice began to explain the situation that had occurred. The more Haley heard, the more annoyed her face looked.

"I'll be right there." She flipped the phone shut, and put her face in her hands just for a moment and groaned. Soon after, she picked up the phone again and dialed Hotch's number. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"One of our kids just got into a fist fight," Haley managed to grit out.

She could feel Hotch's eyebrows go up. "What? Who? I'm on my lunch break, I can come right now." He began to list names. "Derek? Emily? Spencer? Penelope?"

"Wow honey, glad to know you have a list prepared in who you think would have a fight," Haley said sarcastically. "And you're wrong."

"JJ?" Hotch said incredulously.

"Yes, JJ punched another girl in the face. I'm heading to the school now."

"I'll meet you there." Haley nodded and hung up.

One thing was ringing in her mind. Hotch did have a point, no matter how horrible it sounded. JJ was the last person to start a physical fight with anyone. Derek and Emily both have infamous tempers, Spencer would never mean to be violent unless he was in a meltdown, and Penelope wasn't known to well yet. As judgment as it sounded, she was a street girl, and street girls were often associated with fighting.

So when Haley caught a call that their sweet little JJ was in a fight, something was wrong.

A/N: Yes, so... I know the scenes were short, but I wanted the kids to adjust to going back to school. So JJ got into a fight! What is she going to tell Hotch and Haley?