A/N: Hello again, everyone!

A shout-out to everyone who's been reading and reviewing my stories.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. No copyright infringement intended.

My apologies if I made any mistakes but enjoy the chapter!

"P.U.!" Anastasia pinched her nose when she reached the twins' nursery. "Stinky 'ear!"

Élise picked up the twins' dirty diapers and dropped them in the diaper pail before putting them in clean diapers and putting them in their onesies.

"That wasn't so bad, huh?" asked Élise to Athena and Angela, cooing. "Was that so bad for me to change your stinky diapers?"

"Hi, honey!" Reid exclaimed when he walked in the door. "I'm home!"

Anastasia hugged his legs. "Daddy!"

Reid massaged her head before scooping her up and kissing the top of it. "Hi," he set her down and gave Élise a kiss. "How are you, sweetie?"

"Good, though I have my hands full here." Élise lifted her arms.

Reid immediately knew what she meant, and Reid cradled Angela. "Hi, baby. Daddy's home." He drew Anastasia and Élise to him. "I love you all so much."

"And I'll never get tired of hearing that," Élise kissed his cheek and beamed.

"I luv yoo too, daddy."

Dr. Carter smiled, and her eyes widened when she saw Reid and Élise with their daughters. "Hi, everyone."

"Hiya, dac!" Anastasia flapped her hand when Élise strolled in with the twins, and Reid helped Anastasia into his lap.

Dr. Carter waved back. "Hi, everyone," the doctor gasped when she saw Athena and Angela in the stroller. "Hi, you two!"

Élise had a seat next to Reid and Anastasia. "How are you doing, doc?"

Dr. Carter answered, "Great," she got her pen and checklist. "How are the twins?"

"The same as last month's visit: drinking my special milk, sleeping, pooping, watching us, being adorable."

Anastasia frowned and stuck her tongue out. "Eww!"

Dr. Carter snickered and cleared her throat, wiped her mouth, and got serious again. "How's their tummy time?"

"It's getting better," said Reid, bouncing Anastasia on his knee. "Five minutes top."

Dr. Carter scribbled. "Okay. So, we're going the physical, eye, heart, pulse, belly, and hip checks, immunization shots," she speedily tiptoed to Élise's ear, so Reid couldn't hear what the doctor would whisper to Élise.

For the next hour, the doctor examined Athena and Angela.

"Shhh…" Reid simultaneously comforted the twins after Dr. Carter gave them their immunization shots. "It's okay to feel achy and cranky from your shots."

Dr. Carter squatted to Anastasia's level and gave her a sugar-free lollipop. "Sorry about that."

Élise petted Anastasia's hair. "That's okay. Uh, may I please speak to you privately?"

Dr. Carter gave her a side wink. "Of course."

Reid gave Élise a loving kiss and allowed Anastasia to leave the room first and left the room next. The doc went over to her desk and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen.

Élise returned the paper to Dr. Carter and scanned it for a good minute.

"Okay, but if you need anything, there's absolutely no shame in asking for help."

Élise nodded.

"This one is when Athena smiled at me." Reid was in Garcia's self-proclaimed lair, showing her new baby photos. "And this one was when Angela smiled at me after changing her diaper."

Garcia covered her mouth while squealing. "Ooh. I'll never get tired of seeing newborn pictures." She went over to her mini-fridge. "And ice cream!"

"Yay!" Reid cheered. "But is it dairy-free?"

"Made from almond milk," said Garcia before helping herself to a spoonful. "Mmm…just what I needed."

Reid sensed something. "You okay?"

Garcia bit down on her fingertips and winced. "Can you keep a secret?"

Reid crossed his index and middle fingers. "Scout's honor."

Garcia collected herself and took a deep breath. "Years ago, JJ put her name on the OP list in New Orleans. She completely forgot about it until now; there's an opening, and it's hers if she wants it."

"Mmm…" Reid ate a spoonful to delay answering.

Garcia's face saddened a bit. "Yeah. I know dealing with life involves changes, and you know I deeply detest change," she gathered her shoulders back. "My conversation with her isn't over by a long shot."

"Mmm…"

Reid opened Rossi's office door after knocking and got the okay from him to enter, finding him packing up his things.

Reid asked. "Glad to be home tonight instead of tomorrow?"

"Right now, all I want to do is get home and have a drink with Krystall."

"Same; I just want to go home and be with my three little girls and wife, who will be a happy camper once I bring home some of Texas' world-famous barbecue." Reid showed off the brown paper bag before noticing something off with Rossi and took a seat across from him. "You okay?"

Rossi sighed heavily, "I still feel rattled by Lynch. Just the thought of thinking he could have cut my face when he ambushed me in the woods."

Reid nodded. "I know how you feel. The first time I ever felt rattled was with Tobias Hankel."

"The DID offender who kidnapped and drugged you for two days straight," Rossi mentioned. "It must have been terrifying."

"Believe me; it was," said Reid. "After that, I…I had flashbacks from the crime scene photos during my first case back. There was that time I saw Jack Vaughn murder Ryan Phillips and…Delgado…and then, of course…Maeve Donovan," he sniffed. "After I was framed for murder and sent to federal prison, I…I sometimes wondered if I was going to die or make it out alive. I got so used to prison life that I had to be remained that a door could be unlocked after my release."

Rossi was sympathetic. "Sorry you had to go through all that trauma, Spencer."

Reid replied, "I've gotten past it, but I can never truly forget, even if I do have an eidetic memory."

Rossi shook his head. "I know, but with Lynch...I mean, I'm always saying, 'Scars remind us where we've been – they don't have to dictate where we are going.' But this time…"

Reid guessed. "Maybe he went dormant, like BTK or the Zodiac."

"Lynch is a different animal than the rest of them," Rossi said. "Maybe he adjusted his M.O., and he doesn't know what he's up to. But I still can't figure out why he let me live."

"We'll get him," Reid vowed. "We may have lost the two battles with Lynch, but in the end, we'll win the big war. My advice to you is to focus on the good and now, like you are going home tonight to your wife and having a nice drink together, and I'll be going home to my three girls and a wonderful woman who will probably have a bunch of diapers for me to change and definitely kill me if I don't bring home her Texas barbecue."

Rossi chuckled, "I think she wanted to with Cat Adams."

"Oh, yeah." Reid snickered. "And I don't blame her."

Rossi thought about hearing about blabbing about JJ's job offer, "Please don't let Garcia or anyone else stop you from changing careers if you get a tempting job offer or you want to spend more time with your mother, Élise, and your daughters. Even though you're going to be 40 in about two years, you still have plenty of time to do big things with your life."

"I know. Good night, Rossi."

"Night, Spencer."

Reid massaged and scratched his eyes when entering the bedroom and finding Élise reading Jane Austen's Persuasion.

"Oh, God…" he stretched his back. "I swear, our twins…"

Élise closed her book. "Ninjas in a past life."

Reid chuckled when he tucked himself under the comforters. Looking at the ceiling, he asked, "Can I ask you something?"

Reid sat up a bit and cleared his throat. "How would you feel if I got a job offer out-of-state?"

"You got a job offer?" asked Élise.

"Not me…but JJ."

Élise's mouth turned into a small open O. "JJ got a job offer."

"New Orleans."

Élise pursed her lips. "Mmm…"

Reid got back to the question at hand. "But seriously, if I ever got a job offer, how would you feel if I took it?"

"I'd be happy for you," Élise caressed his cheeks. "If you ever did leave the BAU, there would be an umpteenth number of opportunities for you. Prestigious universities all over the country and world, Fortune 500, Big Tech companies, have a business yourself, consulting, private sector; hell, you'd make a serious fortune."

Reid nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I would."

"But hey, you know the old saying: when one door closes, the next door opens," said Élise. "Or, in your case, many doors open for you."

"Knock-knock-knock!" Reid creaked his head into the nursery and found Élise getting Athena and Angela in their matching red-and-white-striped Valentine's Day-themed onesies.

Élise smiled. "Heeey!" she showed off the twins. "Don't these girls look adorable?"

Reid gushed, "Awww, yes, they do." He took Angela and started smooching her face. "You're so cute; yes, you are."

"What do you want for breakfast?" asked Élise, rocking Athena.

Reid insisted, "No-no-no. I'll make you all breakfast," he traded Angela for Athena and gave her smooches. "How do Belgian waffles with berries and orange juice sound?"

"That sounds good," said Élise before the twins started to get fussy, causing her to immediately tend to them while Reid woke Anastasia up.

"Okay," Reid collapsed on the couch next to Élise. "While our girls nap, we have some quiet time to ourselves."

Élise exhaled. "Indeed we do," she slapped her hands on her thighs. "So…what do you wanna do?"

Reid scratched his head. "Maybe…go out for dinner?"

"Just the two of us?" Élise wanted to clarify. "Alone?"

Reid lifted his shoulders. "Why not?" he scooted on the couch to get to her. "Give us some alone time." Reid sniffed her hair and started giving her kisses on her head. "Privacy…"

Élise giggled, enjoying Reid's touches and kisses. "As much as I love that, who'd want to watch an almost-three-year-old and two almost-three-month-old twins?"

Reid curved his mouth to the side, thinking before a lightbulb lit in his head.

Knock-knock-knock!

"Coming!" Reid said, putting on his dark charcoal suit jacket and answering the door. An instant smile appeared on his face.

Because standing before him was Hotch and Jack.

"Spencer!" Hotch smirked, being allowed to enter the apartment. "Long time no see."

Reid closed the door. "Same with you two. And Jack," he was in awe at a surprisingly tall Jack. "You're as tall as your old man."

Jack chuckled. "Thanks, man."

"So, how is life as a Georgetown law professor?" asked Reid after being pulled aside.

Hotch sighed. "Much more refreshing and less stressful than ever before."

Élise walked into the living room, clad in a red dress and black boots. "I got the girls bathed and fed. Are you sure you two don't mind watching our daughters?"

"I'd do anything for Spencer," Hotch placed his hands on Reid's shoulder. "And I know he'd do anything for me."

Reid got his and Élise's coats. "Now, do you have the emergency numbers, CPR, doctors' numbers?"

"Mmm-hmm," Hotch nodded. "Only call unless it's about Anastasia, Athena, Angela, or your mother, and absolute emergency."

About thirty minutes into their Valentine's Day dinner, Reid and Élise had just completed the salad course and was now moving onto the main course: chicken parmesan with linguine and roasted vegetables.

"Mmm…!" Élise licked her mouth. "Delicious."

Reid chewed and swallowed. "Indeed it is."

Élise had a sip of sparkling water. "I wonder how Hotch and Jack are doing with our girls?"

Reid raised an eyebrow and joked. "Maybe they're finding it difficult."

"Shhh…." Jack was in the twins' nursery, rocking them and comforting them when they started waking up and crying. "Shhh…."

There was a knock on the door, and it was Hotch carrying a fussy Anastasia.

"How's it going?"

Jack gave his dad an okay finger gesture. "Smooth."

Hotch smiled. "Want me to check under the bed for monsters again?"

"Mmm-hmm…."

Dessert was red velvet swirl cheesecake. Reid and Élise poked their forks into the dessert and savored the sweet tastings.

"Perfect ending to a perfect Valentine's Day."

Reid nodded in agreement. "Yup. I got to spend Valentine's Day with my girls."

"I love it when you call us 'your girls,'" Élise giggled.

Reid smiled and picked up his water glass again. "Happy Valentine's Day, honey."

Élise picked up her glass and allowed it to clink with Reid's. "Happy Valentine's Day, baby."

xxxxxxx