Pivitol chapter here. I'm not entirely happy with how this chapter turned out but you can only rewrite it so many times. Enjoy!
The day of the party started early. The team would be there at eigso the Rossi household was up at six. There was plenty to do. Skylar's suite had been mostly cleared out the night before. After eating some toast and juice, coffee for the adults, they cleared out what was left. They finished up just as the team began arriving.
Skylar was introduced to Will then Jack and Henry. She was a little shy around them but Jack walked up and held out his hand like he'd seen his father do. Skylar slowly took it and the ice was broken. Garcia volunteered to watch the kids in the backyard while the others got started on the work.
Since Derek had the most experience with home decorating and repairs, he was nominally in charge. That meant it was his job to install the ceiling fans after what was left of the old furniture light fixtures was removed. Hotch helped him with that while the others brought up the paint and supplies. It took less than an hour to get the fans installed. After that, the painting prep began.
Dave, Hotch and Will painted the sitting room, since it was the biggest, while Derek and Spencer did the bedroom and Emily and JJ handled the bathroom. They stopped at noon for a quick lunch of sandwiches and chips before getting back to work. Garcia came in to help for a while after Jack and Henry went down for a nap and Skylar was helping in the kitchen.
Garcia had smiled as she watched the kids. If Jack and Henry were bothered by the fact that Skylar couldn't talk, they didn't show it. There was plenty of running and jumping and hiding and rolling around on the ground. Mudgie decided it looked like fun and decided to join in, his barks blending with the laughter. Garcia helped with the hiding but she passed on the rest.
About four, Dave fired up the grill then went back to painting. It didn't take long for the group to finish painting. They'd move the new furniture in after they ate, giving the rooms time to start drying. They opened the windows to get rid of the fumes. After cleaning the area, supplies and themselves, they headed downstairs.
Two tables were set up on the patio. One was in the middle of the patio and the other, laden with all kinds of food, was near the grill. Dave put the food on the grill as the others grabbed drinks and sat down at the second table. Once that was done, he grabbed a beer and joined them.
"Dave, don't take this the wrong way," Derek said, "but the next time you decide to decorate, you're on your own."
"Here, here," Emily said with a sigh.
"You're being adequately compensated," Dave pointed out.
Penelope came walking up with the kids. She dropped into a chair with a sigh. "Tired, baby girl?" Derek asked.
"I want their energy," she smiled.
"Don't we all," JJ agreed. "I need his energy to keep up with him."
"Where are they?" Hotch asked.
"Mudgie is showing them how to crawl through the bushes on their stomachs," Penelope said. "Unfortunately, he believes that mud should also be involved."
"Good thing we brought extra clothes," Will said.
Mrs. Rossi and Mrs. Nichols came out of the kitchen with some appetizers and placed them in front of the team. "Let me make proper introductions," Dave said. "Mom, Mrs. Nichols, this is my team. Mom, you remember Aaron Hotchner and Derek Morgan. This is Emily Prentiss, Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau and her other half Will LaMontagne, and Penelope Garcia. This is my mother Isabella Rossi and our housekeeper Anna Nichols." Everyone exchanged their greetings. "Jack and Henry are with Skylar."
"So, Mrs. Rossi," Emily smiled. "Is there anything about your son you'd care to share with us?"
"There will be no story telling," Dave said firmly.
"Hush, dear," Mrs. Rossi smiled. "You need to check your grill." He got up and hurried over to it. She slipped into his seat.
Forty-five minutes later, the food was almost ready. "I'll get the kids so they can get cleaned up," Penelope said and headed for where the kids were. She returned a couple of minutes later, carrying Henry and holding Jack's hand.
"Where's Skylar?" Dave asked as she handed Henry to his mother.
"She was right behind me," Penelope said. "Be right back." She headed back out. A minute later, they heard a yelp.
"Baby girl?" Morgan asked. He got up and went after her.
When he got to them, she and Skylar were starring at each other and Penelope was rubbing her arm. "Something wrong?" he asked, looking back and forth between them.
"Everything's fine," Penelope finally said. Derek didn't look like he believed her but he didn't say anything. "Come on," she said. "Let's get you cleaned up." Skylar scowled and stomped past them.
"Garcia, are you sure..." Derek started.
"It 'll be fine," she said, giving him a small smile. "Let's go eat." They followed the little girl back to the others.
Skylar's mood didn't improve. Everyone chalked it up to her being tired and overly excited. It finally came to a head and they all got to see what kind of temper Skylar had.
Skylar's lemonade glass was empty. She wanted a refill but she couldn't reach the pitcher and she couldn't get anyone's attention. Finally, she slammed her cup down on the table, making everyone look at her. She shook her cup, rattling the ice.
"You need to finish eating before you get some more to drink," Dave said. She frowned and slammed the glass down again. "I told you no," he said. "Now, eat." With a growl, she picked up the plastic cup and threw it across the table, hitting the patio doors. "Skylar Martine!" Dave exclaimed. "What the hell." The table went quiet.
"Okay, that's it," Dave said, throwing down his napkin. "I think you need to spend some time sitting by yourself." He stood up and reached for her. When he did, she reached up and pinched him hard on the arm.
Everyone gasped. They could see how mad Dave was at that moment. They were holding their collective breaths, waiting to see what he would do. He reached for her again, this time grabbing her so she couldn't reach him. Picking her up, she was kicking and crying, he carried her to the patio doors, opened them and went into the kitchen. He sat her at the kitchen table. He would be able to keep an eye on her and she would be able to see everyone having fun.
"You can sit here and watch until you can behave yourself," he said. Without another word, he turned and left the kitchen, returning to his seat at the table.
"Do you want us to go?" Emily asked.
"No," Dave said. "If you leave, she'll think she can control things with her tantrums. That's the last thing I want to teach her."
The party started up again. If it was a little subdued, no one said anything about it.
After about thirty minutes, Mrs. Rossi slipped unnoticed into the kitchen. She wasn't very surprised when she heard sniffling coming from Skylar. She sat down next to the little girl and waited until she looked up. She looked so miserable and... scared. She wondered about that.
"You are sorry for what you did," Skylar's nonna said. The little girl nodded. "Are you sad?" Another nod. Skylar pulled her legs up on the chair and and wrapped her arms around them then laid her head down on her head down on her knees.
"Are you afraid?" the woman asked. Skylar nodded without raising her head. "Of what?" she asked. "Your father would not spank you." The little girl just shrugged. "Did your mama..." Before she could finish the sentence, Skylar's head popped up, her eyes wide and a look of terror on her face. Suddenly, the older woman knew what was wrong. "Santa Madre di Dio," she whispered. "You are afraid he will send you away, back to that place or your mother because you misbehaved." Skylar started crying again. "Oh, mia piccola bambina, he would never do that." The sobs didn't stop. "I will get your papa," she said. She stood up and walked outside.
"I was beginning to wonder where you were," Dave said as his mother walked up to the table.
"You need to talk to your daughter," she said.
"Mama," he started.
"David Anthony, you daughter is terrified you are about to send her away because she was bad," the older woman said. "Go. Now." He was out of his chair in a flash.
Skylar hadn't moved an inch when her father walked into the kitchen. "Skylar, sweetheart," he said as he sat down next to her. Before anything else was said or done, she had launched herself into his arms. They held on tightly to each other,
"I will never send you away," he whispered. "There is nothing you could ever do that would make me do that. You are my daughter, always, and I will love you no matter what happens. I promise you that." He began to rub her back. "You know, I think today was just a little overwhelming. Too much excitement for one day." He picked up a napkin off the table and wiped her face. "You ready to join the others?" She gave him a small nod. "Come on." He sat her down and they walked outside.
Dave sat back down in his seat but Skylar walked around the table and stood by Penelope. She bit her lower lip as she looked up at the technical analyst. Penelope, her heart aching for the little girl standing in front of her, gave her a smile then picked her up and set her on her lap.
"We're good," she said, holding out her pinky. "Pinky swear." Skylar hooked her finger around Penelope's and smiled.
TBC
Okay, the next two chapters will be something of a move along chapter. That means I'm going to use them to show a few things and the passage of time. After that, we're gonna get serious!