A/N - Sorry it's been so long since I posted to this story. I have a mental disorder and, every now and then, my mind goes on a wild adventure and takes the rest of me along for the ride. I'm back now so let's get going.
Chapter 14.
Dave finally asked Derek about finding the type of house he wanted who in turn introduced him to the real estate agent he used. It took two weeks but they finally found the house they wanted.
It was a five bedroom, two story house. The two bedrooms upstairs were actually suites with a sitting room, bedroom and bathroom. The other three bedrooms were downstairs with their own bathroom. There was another quarter bath for guests as well. There was a living room, den, dining room and a large kitchen. Behind the kitchen was another suite of rooms for the housekeeper. Since Dave was very well off and had prearranged financing, it didn't take long to close on the house. Another two weeks after that and they were finally able to move into the house. Dave got smart and hired a moving company.
While they were waiting to move, Dave began looking at housekeepers. Penelope had given him the name of the best agency in Virginia and he went to work. He was very specific about what he wanted, including the fact the position was live in and would include watching Skylar when he was out of town on a case.
He ended up hiring a woman named Anna Nichols. She was in her late thirties, widowed with no children of her own. She and Skylar hit it off immediately. She had no problem with living at the house. Even though she had a car of her own, Dave told her she could use his extra if she ever needed.
One afternoon, Skylar was standing in the middle of her bedroom looking around. Dave stood in the doorway and watched her. "You ready to decorate?" he asked. She nodded. "Alright. Where do you want to start?" She shook her head. "You don't know where to start/" She pointed at him and shook her head. It took him a minute. "Oh, you don't want me to help. What? I'm not girly enough?" She giggled. "Do I need to call a decorator?" She walked over to her dresser and picked up her tiara. "Right," he said. "I'll call your Aunt Penelope."
During all the moving and the hiring, Dave was meeting with Mark Edwards his attorney and the partner he recommended for the custody case, a woman by the name of Maggie Cantrell instead of his other partner. She explained everything that would happen once they filed for permanent custody. Dave already had an account that he had been using for years and his firm would be handling Skylar's trust fund.
He still had to find a therapist and pediatrician for Skylar. He also had to talk to the school system and arrange for Skylar to be an at-home student until she caught up with her age group. She'd need a tutor as well.
When Saturday arrived and Penelope got there, Skylar practically dragged her into the house. "Very nice," Penelope said as she looked around.
"Thanks," Dave said. "Want some coffee?"
"Alright," she said and she followed him into the kitchen.
Mrs. Nichols was wiping down a counter when they entered. "Penelope, this is Anna Nichols our new housekeeper," Dave said. "Mrs. Nichols, this is Penelope Garcia. She's a technical analyst at the FBI."
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Garcia," Mrs. Nichols said.
"Nice to meet you and it's just Garcia," she said. "The only one that calls me Ms. Garcia is the ice bitch we work for."
"Kitten, Hotch has warned you about that," Dave said.
"Yes, but I'm not likely to run into her here at your house, am I?" she said. "She hates you more than she hates Hotch."
"Believe me, the feeling is mutual," Dave said.
Mrs. Nichols pulled two mugs from the cabinet and poured the coffee. "Do you need cream and sugar? she asked.
"Yes, please," Penelope said.
She placed the items by her mug then turned to Skylar. "Come on, sweetie," she said. "Let's get you ready to go shopping." Skylar looked down at herself. "I don't think so. Come on." She took the little girl's hand and they walked out of the room.
"They seem to get along well," Penelope said.
"Very well," Dave said. "It was one of the deciding factor on her getting hired."
"So any last minute instructions?" Penelope asked.
"Nothing too wild," Dave said. "I mean, it's her suite and she has to live in it but..."
"Wait," Penelope stopped him. "Her suite?"
"Suite. Sitting room, bedroom and bathroom," Dave said.
"What does an eight-year-old need with a suite?" Penelope asked.
"She won't always be eight," Dave said, defending his choice.
"Whoa there, Agent Superdad," she said. "I'm not criticizing just observing."
"Sorry, Kitten," he sighed. "Things have been going a mile a minute since this started and they show no signs of slowing down any time in the near future. There's so much left to do."
"You know what your main problem is?"
"Do tell."
"You're trying to do it all by yourself," she said. "You've got a whole lot of friends who would be more than happy to help you out if you'd let them."
"It took a while for me to learn to rely on the team when I came back to the BAU," he said. "This... this is so far out of my sphere of knowledge, I don't even know what questions to ask."
"We can work on that when she and I get back," she said. "You were giving me instructions."
"Just nothing too outrageous," he said.
"I promise we won't spend all your money," she grinned.
"Speaking of," he said. He took out his wallet. Opening it, he pulled out a credit card and slid it across the table to her. She picked it up and looked at it.
"Agent Rossi," she said, turning formal.
"Yes, Kitten?" he asked, doing his best not to smile.
"Why does one of your credit cards have my name on it?" she asked.
"First of all, it's not my credit card," he said. "It has your name on it so I don't have to go with you today. I had it overnighted to me when you said you take her shopping because somehow, I doubt this is the last time. It's connected to Skylar's trust fund. All you have to do is keep the receipts. You just give the card and the receipts to me when you get back."
"I can do that," she said.
"Come on. Let me show you what you'll be decorating."
Two hours later, the two females were just finishing up at a furniture store. They had made one salesman very happy. Skylar had chosen complete living room and bedroom suites. They would be delivered and set up on Monday. Their next stop was Home Depot. There were different paint colors for the three rooms, painting supplies and two new ceiling fans. They included a few odds and ends before they left the store.
After a lunch of burgers, fries and shakes, they headed for Wal-Mart. It was there while they were picking out some outfits that Penelope began to notice a few things about her adopted niece. The bad feeling she had got worse the longer they shopped. She was careful not to let Skylar see what she was feeling.
It was close to five in the afternoon when they got back to the house. "I was beginning to think you two had run off," Dave said as he walked out to the car.
"Ah, we'd never go without you," Penelope said, giving him a small smile.
"Thanks, I think," he said.
They carried the paint and fans into the garages and everything else into the house. Decorating things went into one of the spare bedrooms to be pulled out as needed. Skylar headed up to her room while Dave and Penelope walked into the kitchen. She sat at the table while he poured them both a cup of coffee.
"You want to tell me what's wrong?" Dave asked. He set a mug in front of her then sat down.
"I hate profilers," she told him.
"You keep saying that," he said. "Did something happen while you were out shopping?"
"You could say that," she said.
"You're starting to scare me," he said.
"I guess the band-aid method is the best," she sighed. "I think Skylar has a problem with her eyesight."
"A problem?" he asked. "What kind of problem?"
She took a deep breath. "Sir, I don't think she can see," she said quietly.
TBC