Chapter 7
After an easy breakfast of cereal and muffins, the Taylor family dove into action preparing for the party. Abbey and Stella went to the food market to get what Stella needed for her Greek salad and Abbey buying the fruit, which Dave would reimburse her for. Casee joined the ladies. Matt and Mac got the deck around the pool ready, moving the large picnic table into an area that would be in the afternoon shade. Reed, having watched Matt do it yesterday morning, cleaned out the pool with his two cousins "supervising".
Matt cleaned off the picnic table with a bucket of hot water and dish soap, and Mac took the hose and rinsed it. Matt then moved to the six-top table with umbrella that sat next to the pool. It had a glass top. Cam looked at Mac. "Here comes the really yucky part Uncle Mac."
"Yucky?"
"Yeah, just watch." Matt opened the umbrella and two bats flew out, disturbed from their daylight slumber.
"What the heck," Mac said.
"I really don't mind having them around," Matt countered. "You're the scientist; you know how many mosquitoes they eat a night. But why they crawl up in there is beyond me. It's bright out here in the morning."
"To them it's dark enough and protected," Mac replied.
"One got in the house last week," Cam reported. "Mom freaked."
"What'd you do?" Mac asked, looking at Matt.
"What do you think I did?" Matt smiled. "I shot it. Didn't you see the bullet hole in the living room?" Both the boys giggled. Mac just shook his head.
"He really didn't Uncle Mac," Colin explained. "But that bat is now in bat heaven."
Matt winked at Mac. "Golf is my game; but you gotta love a tennis racket." Mac just smiled and pointed at Matt. Matt smiled at Mac. "My wife wasn't the happiest camper about how I used her racket." Mac just laughed.
"Btw, my old set of golf clubs still here?" Mac asked.
"Yeah, and you, Aaron, Dave and I have 9:23 tee time Saturday morning." Mac smiled. As they continued to clean up the deck, the girls returned. "It's our turn to run," Matt smiled.
"Matt?"
"The beer supply needs refreshing, we need ice for the cooler, and I do believe you are on ice patrol for the ice cream."
"Would you two mind seeing if they have something for me," Reed asked as he worked on the pool.
"No Reed; what are you looking for?" Matt questioned.
"I discovered this really great beer but you've probably never heard of it. It's called Leinenkugel's HoneyWeiss. If they have it, could you pick me up a six pack?"
Matt and Mac looked at each other. "He's your son; you explain it to him."
"Reed, Leine's is brewed in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. And regular Leine's is all Da drank." Reed smiled at the shared memory.
Mac looked at him. Reed looked back. "Whatttt?"
"You've got a job and doing quite well. I don't buy your beer."
"Well, dad, I'm a little busy right now and obviously," he said smiling, "I don't have my wallet on me. I'll pay you back when you get home and I'm out of here," he smiled.
Mac pointed at him. "I'm holding you to that."
Matt laughed and the two of them went into the kitchen to tell the ladies they were making their run. On the way, they dropped off the cylinder for Beth's ice cream mixture at the Hotchner home.
-00CM00-
By two that afternoon, the kitchen at the Taylor home was busy. Fran Morgan had just took the chocolate cake out of the oven and moved to help Abbey, Stella and Emily with the fruit salad. Stella already had her Greek salad cooling in the one the fridges in the garage. Dave showed up with the burgers, which he put in the other fridge, and walked out onto the deck, while Mudgie joined Wilma watching the kids. Matt and Mac were relaxing in lounge chairs as Reed and Derek were playing baseball with the kids in the yard. Dave handed his six pack of beer to Matt to put in the cooler, handing two beers he pulled from the fridge to the Taylor brothers. "It's the Fourth; you can start early," he smiled.
Matt looked at him. "And you don't want to drink alone," he laughed.
"Nope; cardinal sin in my book except when I'm home drinking scotch," Dave smiled, as he grabbed one of his own before Matt put it in the cooler.
Aaron, Jack and Beth soon appeared, with Jack disappearing to join the baseball game the minute he got out of the car. Aaron and Beth made their way into the house, and he introduced her to Stella and Fran. Beth looked at Abbey, holding the ice cream cylinder. "Where do you want this?" Hotch put a bag of groceries on the kitchen island for munchies.
Abbey looked at Hotch. "Aaron, could you take that back out to the garage and find a spot in one of the fridges. The colder it is, it will get harder that much quicker." Hotch took the cylinder to garage, dropping off Jack's bag on the steps as he headed out. As he put the mixture in the beer fridge, he grabbed one of Matt's beers and head out to the deck. Beth joined the gang in helping with the fruit salad.
Dave looked at him. "You don't bring your own beer?"
Hotch smiled. "The joys of command."
Matt looked at Dave. "He drinks my beer."
Mac laughed. "I'm going to have to remember that." Yet Mac, like Dave, knew the partners had long ago even worked that out in their relationship.
The kids, along with Reed and Derek blew onto the deck. Matt held up a hand before the kids could even open their mouths, and pointed inside. "Just go and get your swimsuits on."
Hotch looked at Jack. "Your bag is on the steps. But you and Cam help Colin, OK buddy?"
"Uncle Aaron," Col said indignantly, "I can do it myself."
"We'll check on him dad," Jack whispered as they kids rushed into the house to get changed. They all smiled at the kids. Reed followed them in to change into his swimsuit.
"Cob, where can I change into mine?" Derek asked.
"Use Abbey and I's bathroom. Top of the steps; our bedroom is in the back left corner." Morgan went in as well.
As he did JJ, Will, Henry and Sandy came through the garage. JJ looked at Matt. "Will put mom's potato salad in one of the fridges."
Matt smiled at her. "Perfect." He shook hands with Will, greeted Sandy and JJ and introduced them to Mac.
Hotch grabbed Will's six pack, handed him one and put it in the cooler and then excused himself. "One more kid means I'm on lifeguard duty as well." He looked at Henry. "Did you bring your swimsuit?" Henry bobbed his head up and down. Just then, the kids burst through the door. "Want to join them?"
Henry looked at Hotch. "Can I Uncle Aaron?" Hotch looked at the smiles on JJ and Will's faces. Sandy beamed as well.
"You bet. Come on, I'll take you inside and get you changed." JJ handed Hotch Henry's bag.
While that conversation was going on, Matt grounded the already changed kids with his shrill whistle to dead stop. "No one gets in the pool without sunscreen."
"I'll help you with that Matt," JJ said. The two of them applied sunscreen to the kids and the four of them did a collective cannonball into the pool, sending a major splash over the side of the pool. Reed walked out from Matt's study, and did a head count to make sure four heads bobbed back up to the surface. JJ and Sandy laughed at the sight and made their way into the kitchen to help.
Derek came out with Emily following him. "What's up Princess?"
"I get to put sunscreen on you," she smiled.
"What about the fruit salad?"
"Just about done." Emily smiled at him. "And besides, I can drive Garcia crazy with telling her how I helped you get your sunscreen on." Emily smiled devilishly. "I still owe her for her 'visitor Prentiss' comment. Paybacks are a bitch," Prentiss snarked. Morgan just smiled.
Reed, satisfied that the kids were OK, looked at the group and made his way over to meet everyone. "Hey Uncle Matt, send that sunscreen to me." Matt tossed him the bottle. Mac helped him get his back and shoulders. Hotch came out with Henry, with the all the ladies following.
Matt looked at Abbey, Stella and Beth as they came out. "Helps if you have a crew?"
"A big project becomes short work," she smiled. JJ got Henry buttered up with sunscreen as well, while Beth helped Aaron.
Henry looked at Sandy. "Grandma! Watch! I can swim!" And with that, he did his own cannonball into the pool. Dave sitting in his chair proudly smiled, which Mac noticed.
"You enjoy this."
"Mac, those kids mean more to me than my own life," Dave simply said. Mac nodded his head in understanding, as Stella rubbed his shoulders, smiling at Mac.
She bent over and kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you have them in your life."
Dave turned to look her in the eye. "Me too Stella." Reed at that end of the pool noticed the exchange.
At the same time as that conversation, Sandy looked at JJ. JJ smiled. "He wouldn't trust Will and me for his life. Twenty minutes here this spring, and Matt and Hotch had him swimming like the rest of the fish," she nodded towards the pool.
Matt smiled at Sandy, giving her arm a rub. "Guess it's my turn to get into a swimsuit."
Mac looked at Stella. "I think I'll join the parade."
When the Taylor brothers reappeared, the ladies they loved took care of the sunscreen part as well. Dave pulled his chair in the shade but able to keep an eye on the proceedings. Fran and Sandy, each enjoying a glass of wine that Will had got them, sat in the shade of the picnic table, talking and laughing at the kids frolicking in the pool.
And then it happened. The biggest whirling dervish in the world, known as Garcia, blew into the proceedings with Kevin and the good Dr. Reid in tow. If the pool area wasn't alive with the kids playing, it surely was now. Matt put two fingers in his mouth to give out his highest shrill whistle. They all froze. "Time for meeting some, as Garcia would say, 'peeps'."
Matt introduced the rest of the team to Mac, Stella and Reed. "And folks, for the duration of the evening and to avoid confusion," pointing at his nephew Reed, "this is Reed." Pointing at Spencer, he added, "he's Doc." They all laughed.
"But since I have all of your attention, Will, you and Hotch are on lifeguard duty. Mac, Reed, Derek and Dave," he smiled. "You're mine," he said, crocking an index finger at them. "And you gentlemen have work to do."
Fran and Sandy, knowing what was coming, smiled at each other. "I think this is time where I go in and make the frosting for my cake," Fran smiled.
The both of them had been filled in by Abbey about making the ice cream. "Do you mind a little help?" Sandy shyly smiled.
"Not at all." The two of them smiled at each other and started towards the kitchen. Abbey stopped them.
"I've got everything out for you, and Fran, you know where the mixing cups are." They both smiled at Abbey as they went inside.
Morgan and Reed got out of the pool as Matt went into the garage. He came back out with the ice cream churning bucket and set it on the side steps of the deck area. Mac, knowing the process, followed him out with Beth's mixture in the cylinder. The Taylor brothers got it all set up with the groove on the top and the handle on hanging over the side. Mac added the ice as Matt gently added salt as Mac added more ice into the well around the cylinder, finally getting it to the top. Matt smiled at Dave. "You get the first turn old man."
"Hey you, I remember this process as well. But damn Matt, where the hell did you get the old fashioned set up?"
"Abbey found it on eBay." Dave grabbed the handle and started the gentle cranking. Mac and Matt looked at each other. Dave wasn't bullshitting them. He obviously had done this more than once.
Henry looked at Hotch. "What's Uncle Dave doing Uncle Aaron?"
"He's starting to get the homemade ice cream done."
Henry's eyes light up as he asked "Homemade ice cream?"
Aaron smiled. "Yes, homemade."
Will smiled. "You wanna go watch buddy?"
"Can I daddy?"
"I'm sure Uncle Matt and Uncle Dave won't mind." Those younger than Matt gathered around to watch the process, as Mac, Matt, Dave and Reed took turns turning the crank.
"This is just way too cool," Penelope intoned.
"Actually, the process is quite easy. It just involves…." Morgan shot Reid a look.
"Doc, we don't need a dissertation on the process. Just grab a turn on that handle," Morgan smiled.
"Our family used to do this at my grandparents' house on the Fourth when I was young. This brings back a lot of memories," JJ smiled.
"What about you Emily," Dave asked. "Any special memories of the Fourth?"
"Nope; just having to attend too many Fourth of July parties at various US embassies around the world." They soon wandered off to enjoy themselves, leaving Matt, Mac, Dave, Morgan and Reed at the task.
Morgan finally spoke up. "So when do I get my turn?" Matt had just taken over for Mac, who showed a bit a sweat on his brow. Matt looked at Mac and then Dave, who winked at him.
The three said in unison, "Now."
Morgan grabbed the handle and gave it one turn. "Oh very funny; I get my turn when it's getting hard as a rock."
"We thought you were the muscles of the outfit Derek," Matt teased.
After a couple of minutes, Mac elbowed Matt. "Give the kid a break and get it into the freezer." Matt went to the garage to get an old towel, while Mac removed the handle and top. Matt pulled the cylinder out using the towel and Mac wiped the outside with the rest of the towel.
When Matt returned from the garage, he looked at the guys. "Now it's serious beer drinking time."
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A/N: Holy character overload! I'm dizzy. And yet, I'm going to try and do it again next chapter. However, thanks peeps for the reviews and story alerts. I write for me. When y'all enjoy it, it's just ice cream with my cake. Thank you all!
A/N2: My reference to HoneyWeiss and the Leinenkugel brewery is actual fact. And more than a little shout out for my home state. While Leine's is a regional beer, it is huge in these parts. Chippewa Falls is a little over an hour driving time from me. But you already knew all that didn't you hxchick ;)