Don't you just hate when it takes over a month for an author to update a story... guess what - this author hates it too - I'm sooooooo sorry it took this long to get chapter 17 up. Sometimes unfortunately, real life just gets in the way...
* Profiler's Choice 2012 Fanfic Awards for the Criminal Minds Community *
Hosted by ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969 and hxchick
It is our pleasure to announce the Third Annual Profiler's Choice Fanfic Awards for the Criminal Minds community!
The nomination ballot is now available, and all rules are posted on Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum! Nomination ballots must be received by October 15, 2012, and must be sent to this PM at Profiler's Choice CM Awards (this page!) Fics for consideration must have appeared on the CM section of between September 1, 2011, and August 31, 2012 (see rules for full details.)
Please read all rules prior to submitting ballots! Please PM at Profiler's Choice CM Awards with any questions.
So - mosey on over to the Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum and get your ballot so you can nominate your favorites. There were a ton of great stories this year! Just make sure you read the rules.
Why yes, yes I do... (pauses as lawyer whispers in ear)... Uh... I guess I was wrong... it turns out I do NOT own Criminal Minds... drats!
You've all waited long enough - on with the story!
Happy reading and enjoy :D
JJ smiled as she watched Spence take a bite of chicken tandoori out of the corner of her eye as she turned to look at Ashley and Zoe. "So you guys never did tell us where you got assigned."
Zoe smiled. "Boston."
Hotch nodded. "Boston will be a good office for you to get started in. It's a large enough field office that you will be able to gain experience, but it's not so large that you'll get lost in the shuffle."
Ashley nodded absent mindedly as she played with her food.
"Ashley, what's wrong?" Emily asked the younger agent.
Ashley sighed and looked up. "All those missing college students… their families may never know what happened to them… I just wish I…"
Emily nodded in understanding. "It's never easy to know that we can't help everyone."
Ashley nodded and then turned to look at Hotch. "I know I've been assigned to a field office… but is there any chance of me being reassigned to Andi Swann's team?"
Zoe's eyes went wide as she turned to look at her friend and then looked at Hotch.
Hotch nodded in understanding. "I'll call Andi tomorrow, but I'm sure she'll be grateful to have you on her team. We'll also need to speak with the SAC in Boston."
Zoe looked at Ashley as they stood in the bullpen, having just finished boxing up their desks. "Promise me that you'll be careful and that you'll stay in touch."
Ashley smiled at the best friend she'd ever had. "Of course… I won't be too far away. We can get together on weekends."
Zoe grinned. "That would be good. Last night Marc stole the phone from Nicholas and asked for your number."
Ashley blushed as she smiled. "I know. He called me."
Zoe laughed. "I guess I'll definitely see you a lot then."
"You ladies all packed up?" Rossi asked as he and the rest of the team gathered around them in the bullpen.
"Yeah… I think so." Ashley replied as she glanced about her desk. "I'm going to miss you guys." She said as the team gather round.
Zoe nodded in agreement. "Me too."
"No sadness. This is a no sadness zone." Penelope said with a smile, "You're not leaving the family; you're just moving on to new adventures. You both better stay in touch. I can find you. I have ways." Penelope said with a sniffle as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"I'd listen to her if I were you. Mama Bear is serious." Morgan added.
"You hush," Penelope said clearing her throat as she poked her husband in the belly, "or no cake for you." she said as she stepped out of the way revealing the fabulously decorated cake that sat on the desk behind her. "You know we couldn't let you leave without having a going away party."
Emily grinned as she signed on the dotted on line on the last page of the mortgage paperwork and then passed it over to Aaron to sign. It had taken a few months, but she and Aaron had managed to find and now close on the house they'd fallen in love with.
The house was large with a well-manicured lawn. Bay windows were on the sides and back of the house. A large front porch and balcony graced the front of the two-story home. There was plenty of room for their growing children to run and play.
"These are yours now." The mortgage broker said with a smile, handing the house keys to Aaron as he slid the paperwork across the desk.
"So what do you think of having one last hurrah at the condo before we move?" Emily asked as they climbed into the SUV to pick up the kids from JJ and Reid's, as Avery and Seth were having a play date with Chloe and Henry.
"What are you thinking?" Aaron asked as he turned to look at Emily.
"Cookout and kiddie pool on the roof? We can watch the fireworks on the roof if the kids last that long… and if they don't then we can watch the fireworks from inside the condo." Emily replied as she turned to look at Aaron.
Aaron turned to look at Emily as he stopped at a stop light. "You're going to miss the view of the National Mall being right outside your living room window aren't you?"
Emily smiled. "Maybe just a little bit, but it's a fair trade off for the kids having a yard that they can play in right outside the window. Plus I was thinking instead of putting the condo on the market, maybe we should keep it as an investment. With the view and the location it would be easy to lease out."
Aaron grinned. "You just don't want to let it go… but I agree."
"Dad?" Tim asked as he walked out onto the deck where his Dad and Mudgie sat, relaxing on a summer Saturday afternoon. Mudgie lifted his head to look at Tim. Tim paused and scratched the black lab behind the ears.
"Hey Tim" Dave said as he looked at his son. "What's up?"
"I was wondering… well… can I play football in the fall?" Tim asked.
Dave looked at his son. "I think we need to talk about it. I'm not saying no; just that we need to include your Mom in the discussion and she's not home right now. We've got a couple months... you might change your mind about wanting to play."
"But all the guys are going to play…they've been talking about it for weeks now." Tim replied.
The wheels in Dave's head began to spin as he listened to his son speak. The profiler in him couldn't help but notice Tim's choice of words. They've been talking about it… not we've been talking about it. "Tim, do you want to play football because it's what you want to do, or because it's what your friends want you to do?" Dave asked in a concerned tone.
Tim shrugged and looked down at his shoes.
"Hey, kiddo, look at me." Dave said getting Tim's attention. Once Tim lifted his head, Dave spoke again. "It's okay if you don't want to play football… and it's okay to tell your friends that you don't want to do something." He figured he better drill this point home now while it was still about simple things like football… in a few years it might end up being about sex, alcohol, or drugs and he wanted Tim to have the tools he needed to withstand peer pressure. "So do you really want to play football?"
Tim sighed as he sat down in the chair next to his Dad. "I don't know… it's at the same time as soccer… and I really like soccer, but most of the guys are going to go out for football."
"Tim, you're really good at soccer. There's nothing wrong with you wanting to continue to play soccer. There's also nothing wrong with you wanting to play football as long as it's what you want." Dave said as he and Tim continued to discuss the pros and cons of football and soccer.
Spence held JJ's hand as they sat together in Dr. Green's office waiting for him to meet with them. Spence was having a follow up appointment for his pineal cyst. They both turned to look as the door to Dr. Green's office opened.
"Hi Spencer and JJ." Dr. Ryan Green said as he slipped in the door, pausing to shake their hands before he made his way around the desk. "Sorry to have kept you waiting. I know we talked about avoiding surgery if at all possible," The doctor said as he pulled up the scans of Spence's brain that they'd just taken on the monitor, "but I'm worried that might not be a possibility." Dr. Green said as he pointed out the cyst on the screen. "You can see here when compared to your MRIs from a few months ago how it's grown. The growth isn't out of control, and it's just a slight bit of growth, but it's clearly more than the diuretics are able to keep up with, let alone reduce."
JJ squeezed Spence's hand. Spence squeezed back and took a deep breath. "So surgery then?"
"Surgery is never something to trifle with, but I really do honestly believe it to be your best option at this point." Dr. Green replied. "Since the diuretics aren't working, our other options are a shunt to drain the cyst or surgery to remove the cyst. In the case of a pineal cyst, the surgery to remove the cyst isn't any more invasive than it would be to place the shunt. In the surgery to remove the cyst, we would also remove the wall of the cyst, making it extremely unlikely for there to be a re-occurrence. With a shunt, we would need to wait to see if the shunt drained the cyst enough to reduce the swelling. There's a chance the shunt could become blocked, or that it might not work at all."
Spence swallowed as he continued to look at the MRIs of his brain on the screen. "What are the risks?"
Dr. Green nodded as he pulled a diagram up on the monitor next to the most recent MRI of Spencer's brain. "Well as with any surgery, there is always a risk. I know it sounds like it, but it isn't actually considered brain surgery. We'd access the cyst from beneath your brain with the use of a microscopic endoscope that magnifies the area by 50 times and a navigation system to get us to the cyst. Most patients become asymptomatic after surgery. The surgery entails a 6-8 week recovery, a small incision in the head, and removal of a small section of skull bone, which grows back after surgery. The biggest risk is infection, as with any surgery." He explained as he walked Spencer and JJ through a diagram detailing the surgery.
Spence licked his lips and looked at JJ. "What do you think?"
JJ looked from the diagram to Dr. Green, to Spence. "I think you should have the surgery Spence. I want you to feel better. The drugs haven't helped. I know the headaches are making you miserable as much as you try to hide it. Is it what you want to do?"
Spence blinked at JJ knowing him as well as she did… but then she was his wife. "Yeah" he replied clearing his throat. "I want the headaches to be gone and to not have to deal with them anymore."
"Okay then." JJ nodded squeezing Spence's hand. Then the couple turned to look back at Dr. Green together. "What, um… exactly does the surgery consist of?" JJ asked, wanting to prepare herself for what exactly her husband would be going through.
Dr. Green pulled up the MRI of Spencer's brain again. "We begin by creating a 'keyhole' smaller than a dime behind the ear." The doctor began to explain. "From there, I'll slide a slender endoscope over the top of the cerebellum and through a natural pathway to access the deep-seated pineal cyst. We won't need any retractors or need to go through any of the normal brain tissue. We'll excise the cyst and the cyst wall. And that's it." He explained as he traced the path they would use on the MRI. "The surgery will take about two hours. We'll keep you for observation for a couple of days and then you'll be able to go home. It will take you about six to eight weeks to completely recover."
Spence nodded. "How soon can you get me in?"
"How does later this week work?" Dr. Green asked.
JJ paced anxiously in the waiting room. Spence had been in surgery for just over two hours and she was beginning to worry that something had gone wrong. 'Dr. Green had said two hours. Why aren't they done yet?' JJ thought as she continued to pace.
"JJ, come on. Sit down." Emily encouraged, patting the seat next to her.
Once Reid and JJ had shared Reid's medical situation with the rest of the team, Emily had volunteered to sit with JJ while waiting for Reid to get out of surgery. The entire team had wanted to be there, however with small children at home for everyone; and the current case load of the team, that just wasn't realistic. To be honest, JJ was a little relieved. Having the entire team there while she waited would be overwhelming.
"I can't Em. If I sit still all I'll do is think about what could be going wrong." JJ replied as she continued to pace. She glanced down and checked her watch. 'How can time be moving so slow?' She asked herself mentally, noting that it was only just past two hours.
At that moment Dr. Green appeared in the doorway to the waiting room. He pulled off his mask and his hat. "The surgery was a success. We were able to drain the cyst and remove the cyst wall. There shouldn't be a reoccurrence. Spencer's in recovery now, but once we get him transferred to his room, you'll be able to see him."
JJ's chest heaved with a deep sigh of relief.
"I do want to caution you just so you're prepared." The doctor began to explain, "We needed to shave part of his head. He's bandaged up as well, so right now, it looks worse than it is."
JJ nodded in understanding. "Thank you Dr. Green."
Dr. Green smiled, happy that he'd been able to keep his promise to his wife. "It was just my job, but you're welcome. Once Spencer is in his room, I'll come and get you."
JJ nodded as she finally sat down in the seat next to Emily and let out a shaky breath.
Emily rubbed JJ's shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah… I just… I was so worried… I know Spence needed to have the surgery. He was miserable with the headaches… but I was just so worried." JJ replied as she took a deep calming breath. "It's just a relief to not only have an answer, but that Spence should feel better now."
Emily nodded in understanding as she watched JJ sag in relief.
JJ stretched her neck as she sat on the couch reading one of her texts for her training. She had arranged to work a flexible schedule the first couple of weeks that Spence was recovering from his surgery. She worked half days at the office while the team was in town. When the team was out of town, she worked from home.
So now she sat on the couch reading her text while Chloe and Henry napped. Rebecca was studying upstairs just in case she was needed. Spence had stretched out on the couch with his head in her lap and three and a half month Joshua lying on his chest. They were both sound asleep. As she read, JJ absent mindedly ran her fingers through her husband's now closely cropped head of hair.
Spence had decided to cut his hair shorter on top and buzzed on the sides for the summer so that the spot that his head had needed to be shaved for the surgery would be able to catch up with the rest of his hair instead of attempting to mask a temporary bald spot on the side of his head.
Emily laughed and tossed a crumpled piece of newspaper at Aaron as they worked to unpack the last couple of boxes while Avery and Seth took a nap.
Aaron lunged at Emily and pinned her to the wall, kissing his way up and down her neck as he tickled her.
Emily laughed. "Okay, okay, you win. You can have a shelf on the bookshelf for your law books." she said as they worked to set up their home office in the new house.
"Mmm… don't want to talk about law books now." Aaron mumbled against his wife's neck as his hands skimmed over her hips.
"Aaron… ah…" Emily moaned, her head tipping back to lean against the wall and her fingers running through his hair as he nibbled on her collar bone. Then she groaned for an entirely different reason as his cell phone rang and he pulled away from her neck.
"Hotchner" Aaron said as he answered his phone at seeing the Director's number on his caller ID. "Good afternoon sir."
"Avery and Seth still asleep?" Aaron asked as Emily stepped out onto the roof of their condo building.
"Yeah. I just thought I'd come up and see how you were doing up here?" Emily asked as she held up the baby monitor in her hand.
"I think we're all set except for bringing up the food and everything when we're ready for that." Aaron said as he looked around at the picnic type area they'd created on the roof to be able to enjoy the Fourth of July with the team.
"Good job honey." Emily said as she settled her hands on his hips and leaned in to kiss him. "Mm," she moaned as she pulled away, "I should go back down; everybody will be here soon and Avery and Seth will be awake soon too."
"Hey Hotch; man you want some help with the grill?" Morgan asked as he stepped up next to Hotch who was flipping burgers and hot dogs on the grill and handed him a beer.
"Thanks Morgan," Hotch replied taking a long swig of the ice cold beer, "but I think we're good for now." He said as he closed the lid on the grill and turned back to look at the rest of the team who were congregated near the blow up pool.
"Pretty boy's lookin' healthy right?" Morgan asked as he and Hotch stood watching the team from a distance.
Reid and JJ sat next to each other close to the pool so that Joshua, who was sitting in Reid's lap, could see all of the kids playing in the pool. Joshua laughed, giggled, and flailed his arms as he watch Chloe, Henry, Seth, Avery, Jack, Jake, and Billy play together in the pool.
The rest of the team sat around the edge of the pool talking, but also closely watching the kids play in the pool.
"Yeah, I think so. I'm glad the surgery seems to have worked for him. I just wish he would have told us all sooner." Hotch said with a nod.
Morgan rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.
"You knew, didn't you?" Hotch asked, not missing one of Morgan's distinctive tells.
"I uh… yeah… he told me a few months ago." Morgan said, holding back the fact that Reid had also told Emily about his headaches.
Hotch nodded. "I should have been made aware… what if something had happened in the field?"
"But it didn't. The kid's had the surgery and everything is good now. I think we all just need to move on… it's been a rough year so far and the year isn't even half over yet." Morgan replied, wanting to smooth things over and avoid causing an argument for Emily and Hotch just before he left to spend the next few months leading and training an investigative unit in Pakistan.
Hotch nodded. "You're right... I just wish he'd felt he could trust us enough to tell us."
"I don't think it's a matter of trust. I think that it's easy to forget just how much we are all in each other's lives between work and being friends… I think it was about keeping it private between him and JJ until he knew exactly what was wrong… and there's nothing wrong with that. Hell, we're all entitled to keep things to ourselves from time to time."
Hotch chuckled. "Right… as long as that doesn't include you right?" he teased, remembering how Morgan had reacted to the revelations of various secrets over the years.
Morgan mumbled under his breath and rubbed the back of his neck as he remembered what an ass he'd made of himself on a few occasions when secrets had been revealed. "Yeah, I'ma head…" he replied, pointing toward Penelope and the group with his beer.
Hotch grinned and shook his head as he turned around to check the grill. As he was turning the food, Dave stepped up beside him.
"You know everyone is going to be okay while you're gone, right?" Dave said as he stood watching his longtime friend and protégé studiously man the grill so that he wouldn't have time to think about how 48 hours from now, he'd be leaving for parts unknown half-way around the world.
"I know," Hotch sighed as he turned to look at Dave, "but that doesn't mean that I'm going to miss them any less." He said turning back around to watch as Jack, Avery, and Seth played together with the other kids in the pool.
"You know, if I were you, I'd go spend every last moment I could with my family before I had to leave for a couple of months in a couple of days." Dave said as he pushed Aaron towards the side of the roof where everyone else was sitting. "I'll watch the grill… you go."
"Oh I miss mine being this little." Erin said as she cuddled baby Joshua. "Enjoy these days while you can Jennifer and Spencer. The years will fly by and before you know it, your little ones will be teenagers spending the Fourth of July with their friends instead of with family." she said somewhat mournfully.
JJ smiled as she watched Erin holding Joshua. It was hard to believe this was the same woman who had constantly been a thorn in the team's side in another life. Being together with Dave seemed to have grounded and humanized her. Joshua rested his head on Erin's shoulder and turned his head to look at Mommy as his little face scrunched up.
"Uh oh… I know that face." JJ said as she glanced down at her watch. "He's hungry and then its nap time."
Erin nodded. "Alright sweet boy, back to Mommy you go." She said as she passed the baby boy back to his mother. "I'm actually going to go see how David is doing over at the grill." She said as she excused herself.
JJ nodded as she looked down at Joshua who was squirming and fussing in her arms. She turned to look at Spence. "I'm going to go downstairs and feed Josh." She said as she leaned in to kiss her husband.
"Okay, see you in a little bit." He said as their lips parted and then gave his wife another quick peck on the lips.
Elle shook her head as she watched. It was hard to believe sometimes just how much Reid had grownup right before their eyes in the last several years. "So Reid, how have you been spending all of your free time?" she asked referring to the first couple of weeks since he'd had his surgery.
Reid glanced away from the pool for a second to look at Elle. "I've been doing a lot of resting and just enjoying spending some extra time with Chloe, Henry, and Josh… and I've helped JJ study."
"Sounds like some great downtime to me… although I suppose I wouldn' wan' to have to have surgery to ge' it." Will commented from where he sat next to Elle with his arm wrapped around her shoulders while they watched Billy and Seth play together in the water.
"Daddy?" Henry said as he stood up from the water and turned to look at Spence.
"Yeah buddy?" Spence grinned at hearing the Henry's developing language skills that had made another leap forward in the last few weeks.
"I gotsa go potty." Henry said as he stood in the water holding himself.
"Okay, can you hold it for a minute until we get inside?" he asked.
"Uh huh" Henry nodded.
"Okay" Spence said as he scooped Henry up out of the pool and wrapped a towel around him before settling him on his hop. "How about you Chloe? Do you have to go potty?"
Chloe shook her head, too busy wrapped up in playing with Avery and Jack to answer Daddy's question.
"Hey Elle can you…" Reid started to ask.
"Don't worry Reid; we'll watch Chloe for you." Elle replied, already knowing what he was going to ask.
Spence carried Henry down the stairs and the hall and into Emily and Hotch's condo.
JJ turned to look as she sat on the couch breast feeding Joshua, and drew the blanket over herself and Joshua at the sound of the door opening, but relaxed when she saw that it was Spence. "Hey, what are you guys doing in here?" she asked.
"Henry has to go potty." Spence replied as he set Henry down on his feet at the door to the bathroom. "Do you need help buddy?"
"No I do it." Henry replied as he did the potty dance into the bathroom.
Spence shook his head and followed Henry into the bathroom as he watched his two and a half year old son struggle with pulling down his wet trunks.
A few minutes later Henry and Spence exited the bathroom. "Daddy I cold." Henry said as he looked up at Daddy.
"That's because you're wet from the pool still. Here let's wrap you back up in your towel and then we'll go back outside. Then you can play in the pool some more until it's time to eat." Spence said as he wrapped Henry's beach towel around him.
As Daddy picked him back up, he noticed Mommy sitting on the couch and waved. "Hi Mommy!" he said, excited to see Mommy.
JJ chuckled. "Hey little man. Are you having fun playing in the pool?"
"Yep!" Henry nodded, popping the 'P', "What you doing?"
"Josh needed a snack." JJ replied as she looked up at her eldest son and husband while lifting her youngest son up onto her shoulder to burp him.
"Ooooh" Henry replied, drawing out the 'O'. "Hi Doshiea!" he said as he waved at his baby brother.
Spence smiled as JJ and bent down to kiss her. "See you outside in a few minutes."
"I kiss" Henry said tapping Daddy on the shoulder as he kissed Mommy.
"You want a kiss too?" JJ asked.
Henry nodded.
"Smart boy." Spence replied with a grin as he leaned in again so that Henry could kiss Mommy.
"That's because he takes after his Daddy." JJ replied with a wink as Henry gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
"Louise! Declan!" Emily exclaimed greeting the blond pre-teen and his nanny/mother. "I'm so glad you could make it." She said as she hugged them both. With Doyle now locked away in maximum security, Emily felt it was safe for her visits to Declan no longer needed to be a secret. In fact Jack had quickly become the older boys' biggest fan. "Hey Jack, look who's here." Emily said as turned with her arm wrapped around Declan.
"Declan!" Jack exclaimed excitedly. "Chloe, you'll like Declan. He's super fun." Jack explained to his younger friend.
Declan smiled and waved at Jack as he took in the sight of all the kids, the pool, the cookout, and then he noticed the view of the National Mall. "Whoa…"
"Pretty cool huh?" Emily asked, "just wait until tonight when we get to see it all lit up with fireworks."
"Sweet!" Declan replied with a nod, before heading over to join Jack and the littler kids by the pool.
"What are you thinkin' baby girl?" Morgan asked as he slid behind where Penelope was leaning against the wall and slid his arms around her waist, rubbing her developing baby bump.
Penelope leaned her head back against Derek's shoulder. "I'm just watching Declan and thinking how glad I am that Emily saved him from being sucked into everything with Doyle… he's such a great kid." She said referencing the few times the team had met him in the months since everything that happened in Boston.
Derek nodded and then rested his chin on his wife's shoulder. "Yeah, it's nice to know that sometimes something good can come from something bad."
"Mm hm" Penelope replied, turning her head and nuzzling into her husband's neck. "mmm…" she moaned.
"Baby girl… the kids…" Derek whispered in his pregnant, hormonal and now in her second trimester, wife's ear.
"Are asleep, my chocolate god." She replied as she nipped his ear and pointed over to where all of the younger kids were sacked out on pillows and blankets under shade umbrellas in the corner of the roof top deck.
"Baby girl… I don't think our friends would enjoy the show…" he chuckled.
"Fiiiiiiine" Penelope whined in response, "but I am sooooo taking advantage of you when we get home."
Derek laughed and kissed Penelope's neck. "Baby girl, it's only taking advantage if the advances aren't welcomed… I will always very much welcome your advances." He said as he kissed her neck again and rubbed her belly.
Ooos and aaahhhs filled the roof top as the Hotchner, Reid, Morgan, LaMontagne, and Rossis sat on the roof watching the fireworks over the National Mall. Above the skyline and away from the crowds the music being played by the National Symphony Orchestra carried to them and accompanied the fabulous fireworks display.
Hotch wrapped his arms around his family as they sat watching the fireworks, knowing that he had to squeeze all the family time that he could into the next couple of days before he left for Pakistan. He knew going was the right thing to do with the fact that the training he would provide could save countless soldiers' lives. He and Emily had discussed it and agreed, but that didn't mean that he was going to miss his family any less. He wondered how much would change while he was away. Would Jack lose his first tooth? What new word would Seth learn? How much would Avery grow?
Emily looked over at Aaron. She'd miss him while he was gone… the kids would miss him while he was gone. How would they make the most of the time they had before they went to see him off at the airport? How would she keep him as a tangible part of the kids and her life to minimize the separation they would all go through as much as possible? Then she smiled as Avery and Seth squealed at the fireworks that Declan pointed out to them. She smiled as she glanced across Aaron to where Jack sat watching the fireworks with Chloe.
JJ reached down and ran her fingers through Chloe's hair where she sat next to her with Jack watching the fireworks. Henry was bouncing excitedly in place between her and Spence as they watched the fireworks. She smiled as she listened to Spence quiz Henry on his colors as they watched the fireworks. Joshua was sleeping through the fireworks… like a baby, completely undisturbed by the bangs and whistles of the fireworks as the exploded overhead not all that far away. She studied Spence's profile, looking for any sign that the fireworks might be bothering him; and was relieved to find that even with all the noise and time outdoors in the bright sun today, that she didn't notice any signs indicating that he had a headache.
Spence smiled as he looked at Joshua asleep in his baby seat, Chloe sitting with Jack watching the fireworks, and then at Henry eagerly enjoying the loud noise and exploding colors of the fireworks.
"Boom!" Henry screeched excitedly throwing his hands in the air as another rocket exploded mid-air releasing its brightly colored fountain of light into the sky.
Spence laughed. "You like those huh?"
"Yep" Henry said leaning against Daddy as he yawned.
"Looks like a couple certain someones are getting tired." Spence said to JJ as he wrapped his arm around Henry.
"I don't think they're the only ones." JJ replied with a quick glance around at the dropping energy level of all of the kids as the fireworks began to wind down. "With all the fresh air they got today, I think they'll be asleep as soon as we get them in their car seats."
"They've had a busy day today, so I wouldn't be surprised." Spence replied as Henry snuggled closer.
"How about you? How's your head?" JJ asked.
Spence nodded. "It's good… no headache what-so-ever." He watched mesmerized as the exploding fireworks reflected in his wife's endlessly blue eyes. Then he leaned in and kissed her softly. "I love you." he whispered.
"I love you too baby." JJ murmured in reply against Spence's soft lips as they pulled apart.
Elle leaned back against Will's chest with a sleeping Billy in her arms. Will pulled his wife's hair back behind her shoulder and leaned down kissing her on the neck. "Ready to go home as soon as the fireworks are over cher?"
Elle tipped her head back to look at her husband. "Yeah… we have a very tired little boy to put to bed."
"Cher, I'm really not that tired." Will replied with a grin.
Elle slapped Will's thigh. "I wasn't talking about you."
"Oh good… because I was hoping I could talk my wife into staying up for a while once we got home." Will murmured as he traced the edge of Elle's ear with the tip of his nose.
"Oh?" Elle replied. "Was there a movie or something you wanted to watch?" She teased.
Will laughed softly at Elle's teasing. "More like something I wanna do… with you."
Elle laughed then and turned her head to kiss her husband. "Rrrrrrrrrrrr" she growled into his ear, rolling her Rs, "Tu eres un chico travieso."
Will groaned into Elle's ear. "Cher, you know that isn't even fair…" He thought it was sexy as hell when his wife spoke Spanish.
Elle chuckled and kissed Will's neck. "I promise I will take care of you when we get home mi esposo."
"Baby girl, am I going to have to carry you and Jake to the car?" Derek asked as he glanced down at Penelope resting her head on his shoulder as she ran her fingers through their sleeping son's blond curls.
"Mm nn" Penelope replied sleepily as she lifted her head from Derek's shoulder. "I'm just a little tired from all the fresh air today… well maybe that and I forgot how tiring it is to grow a person."
Derek gave a low throaty laugh. "Alright… you just sleep as much as you need to baby girl." He responded, kissing the top of her head as she laid her head back on his shoulder.
"Do any of you need any help?" Dave asked, watching in amazement, the efficiency with which each family managed to pack up their sleeping progeny and all of the necessary supplies for a day out.
"No, I think we're all good." Morgan replied as he strapped a sleeping Jake into his stroller and then grabbed a backpack and the now empty cooler that they'd brought.
"Yeah, us too;" Will replied, "but, thanks."
Erin turned to watch as Spencer and JJ worked as a unified team, as they worked to pack up their gear and three soundly sleeping children. "Spencer, Jennifer, do you need any help?"
JJ shook her head as she attached Joshua's baby seat to his stroller. "No, I think we've got it."
"Yeah, we're good." Spence replied as he settled first a sleeping Chloe, and then a sleeping Henry into the double stroller. Then he picked up two child sized backpacks and an empty cooler, while JJ picked up Joshua's diaper bag and her purse.
"How about you guys Aaron?" Dave asked, turning to look at his best friend.
"We're actually staying here tonight. The movers are coming to pick up the last of the furniture tomorrow and take it to the house." He replied.
"Well then, I guess we'll say thank you and good night." Dave replied, shaking Aaron's hand. "Travel safe my friend. You have a lot of people who need you back here." He said, knowing that in all likelihood he wouldn't see Aaron again before he left for Pakistan. The next couple of days would be spent with his wife and children and to be honest there wasn't a single one of them on the team that blamed him for doing so.
"Thanks Dave" Aaron replied as he clasped his friend's hand. "I'll see you in a few months."
Emily sighed as she entered her and Aaron's bedroom. He'd been gone a few weeks and she missed him terribly. Yes they spoke every day that the team didn't have a case. When the team had a case, he Skyped with just the kids, as he only got to make one call a day. Haley brought Jack over first thing in the morning so that he, Avery, and Seth could talk to Daddy together at the end of his day.
Emily opened the closet and pulled out a couple of Aaron's t-shirts. She quickly changed into one for pajamas. She spritzed some of her husbands after shave on the other t-shirt and climbed into bed. She grabbed Aaron's pillow from his side of the bed and slipped the t-shirt over the pillow, cuddling it to her chest as she lay down. She closed her eyes and dreamed that it was her husband in her arms, not a pillow clad in one of his t-shirts.
"Daddy?" Chloe asked as she entered the kitchen where Daddy was making dinner.
"Yeah princess?" Spence replied, stepping away from the stove and kneeling down to Chloe's height.
"When's Mommy coming home?" Chloe asked.
"You miss Mommy huh?" Spence asked.
Chloe nodded, biting her lip just like Mommy did from time to time.
"Well," Spence replied, pulling JJ's brown eyed mini-me close, "I miss Mommy too…" he explained as he kissed Chloe on the top of the head. The team had had an incredibly busy summer; the last week and a half had seen the team go from Little Rock to Indianapolis to Portland Oregon, all without coming home in between cases.
Luckily he'd spoken to JJ earlier. Gideon had put the team on stand down for the next few days and told them all to take a long weekend so that they could spend some time with their families. He smiled as he heard the front door open. "Why don't we go see who's at the door princess?"
Chloe took Daddy's hand as he stood up and led him to the front door. On seeing who it was that was closing the door, the little girl gave an excited screech. "MOMMY!" she said, letting go of Daddy's hand and heading for Mommy.
"Hey baby girl!" JJ replied happily, kneeling down to catch Chloe and giving her a big hug and kiss.
Henry had heard Chloe from the living room, where he was playing with Rebecca and Joshua and came running, nearly knocking Mommy over as he leapt into her arms. "MOMMY!"
"Hey little man!" JJ replied eagerly and it was hugs and kisses all around as she greeted her two oldest children after being away from home for the better part of a week and a half.
Rebecca handed Joshua to Spencer, knowing that the family would want to spend some time together bonding after JJ being away for so long at once. After telling JJ a quick "Welcome home," she slipped out the door to go to her apartment and call her boyfriend.
"Hey guys, why don't we go in the living room?" Spence asked. "Then Mommy can spend time with you and Josh while I finish dinner."
"Tome on!" Henry said as he and Chloe each took one of Mommy's hands and started pulling her to the living room.
JJ laughed at Chloe and Henry's enthusiasm. "Hi baby. Hi Josh." JJ said stealing a quick kiss from Spence and planting a quick kiss on the side of Joshua's head as she was dragged past them.
JJ sat down on the couch and then helped Chloe and Henry climb up to sit on either side of her just before Spence sat Joshua in her lap.
"Just relax and spend time with the kids for right now. They missed you a lot." He murmured against her lips as he leaned in for a quick hello kiss. "I'll let you know as soon as dinner's ready." He said as he pulled away.
JJ nodded and then turned her attention back to the kids as Chloe and Henry happily chattered away about how they'd spent the last week.
"Hey you." JJ murmured as she pulled back the covers on her side of the bed and then climbed in and curled up next to Spence, raising herself up on one arm the look down at Spence who was lying with his arms behind his head.
Spence smiled. "Hi. I missed you so much." He replied as pulled one arm from behind his head and lifted it, his hand cupping his wife's face as his thumb traced her jaw and chin.
"I missed you too baby. So much…" JJ murmured, turning her head to kiss the palm of Spence's hand, and then lowering herself to kiss him as they cuddled and caught up on everything that had happened both at home and with the team over the course of the last week and a half.
"Hey, where's Spence?" JJ asked as she exited Rossi's office, closed text and note pad in hand, having just finished going over some things with Rossi.
"He's at the firing range. He was talking about how nervous he was about his re-qualifications and then somebody," Penelope said as she shot a glare at her husband, "found a whistle in the bottom of his desk drawer and thought it would be funny to give to my Junior G-man. Reid… he looked pissed Jayje." Penelope said with concern and then swatted Derek on the back of the head for good measure.
"Hey, come on!" Morgan squealed, raising his hands to protect his head. "Pretty boy knew I was only kidding." Penelope swatted him again, this time on the shoulder. "Ow… baby girl!"
"You are a big… you're a big… you're a bully!" Penelope gasped emotionally and then stood up and stormed off to her lair.
"I… JJ what just happened?" he asked as he looked from where his wife was stomping away to the Pennsylvania Petite.
JJ sighed. "Morgan, I know you mean well and that to you teasing is a sign of affection, but one of these days you're going to push Spence too far and he's going to push back. I just hope you're prepared when he decides to get revenge." Then she turned on her heal and head for the elevator lobby and to go find her husband.
Morgan's face scrunched up in confusion wondering what exactly he could possibly have to worry about from the kid. Then he decided that if he valued his life, he should go check on his wife.
JJ stood next to the Range Master watching Spence on the qualifications course with her arms crossed, silently fuming about Morgan teasing Spence about his firearms skills yet again. How many times did he have to prove himself? To Morgan, it might only be the friendly teasing of an older brother to a younger brother; but, she knew just how seriously Spence took anyone implying a weakness or deficiency on his part.
The Range Master grinned and shook his head. "I pity anyone who thinks that you or your husband makes an easy target." He said drawing JJ out of her thoughts. "Two best damn shots I've seen in recent years."
"I'm sorry?" JJ asked as she turned to look at the Range Master.
"He's gone through several times today. I just marked him down as a pass on his qualification. He's been well above the 80 percent required and been damn near perfect on each pass through. It hasn't mattered if he's used his hand gun, the shot gun, the sub-machine gun, or the carbine. It's hard to believe he's the same guy that struggled to pass his qualifications six years ago."
JJ smiled proudly, knowing just how hard Spence had worked to make it look like he couldn't pass his qualification after all the practice they'd put in on the range so that he could pass his qualifications. "I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that he passed, especially since I'm sure he didn't know that he was actually being tested right now."
The Range Master shrugged. "Not much point in making him come back to take the test later when I can see he already meets the standards now."
"No, I suppose there isn't." JJ said as she turned back to watch Spence on the qualifications course.
Spence grinned as he walked off the elevator with his arm wrapped around JJ. Although it hadn't been his intention to take his firearms qualifications this afternoon, he was glad it was over.
As they walked through the double glass doors into the bullpen, he pulled that damn whistle that Morgan had given him not once, but twice now, out of his pocket. Seeing that Morgan was heads down in his paperwork, he couldn't resist. He lifted the whistle to his lips as he and JJ stopped about ten feet behind Morgan's desk.
Elle saw what was about to go down in the bullpen as she and Emily exited the break room with coffee cups in hand. She reached out and rested her hand on Emily's shoulder and nodded towards where Reid and JJ stood behind Morgan.
"Oh shit," Emily muttered, "What's he doing?"
"I suspect getting back at Morgan." Elle replied, remembering how upset Reid had been at Morgan's whistle joke six years ago. It hadn't been all that funny then… and it was even less funny now. "I say good for him. It's nice to see him standing up for himself. It's the only way Morgan is going to learn."
Emily smiled and nodded as they both turned to watch what was about to happen in the bullpen.
Morgan jumped sky high at the sound of a whistle blowing directly behind him. Most of the bullpen laughed as they watched him spin around in his seat to find Reid and JJ standing directly behind him.
Spence grinned and took the whistle out of his mouth and tossed it at Morgan as he passed by.
Morgan rubbed his ear and then looked down at the whistle in his hands and shook his head. Just as he was opening his desk drawer to drop it back in, JJ walked by and pulled it out of his hands and tucked it into her own pants pocket.
"Happy birfay to you, happy birfay to you" Henry grinned as he sang.
"Happy birthday dear Rebecca" JJ sang as she held five month old Joshua with Spence's arm wrapped around her waist.
"Happy birthday to you" Chloe sang as the whole family sang 'Happy Birthday' to Rebecca.
Rebecca teared up as her second adopted family sang 'Happy Birthday' to her. "Thanks you guys… this is… thanks." She said after blowing out the candles on her cake, not knowing what else to say.
She of course knew to expect it, since JJ and Spencer had celebrated her birthday every year for the last three years, but it still moved her to be included as part of their family. She'd always wanted older brothers and sisters while she was growing up. She supposed in part she'd always missed the family that she was supposed to have grown up with, but didn't get a chance to know.
Chloe, Henry, and Joshua were more like nieces and nephews than just charges in her care as their nanny. It left her perplexed as to what the future held as she went into her senior year of college this year. At 24 she was just as anxious about what the future held after getting her college degree as any 22 year old would be.
"Becbec, why you cry?" Henry asked tipping his head to the side as he watched Rebecca wipe the tears from her eyes.
Rebecca laughed. "These are happy tears buddy. Sometimes people are so happy that they cry." She laughed again as Henry's little face scrunched up.
"Happy birthday Becbec!" Chloe cheered excitedly.
"Thanks Chloe!" Rebecca said as Chloe and Henry climbed up beside her.
"Can we have cake now?" Chloe asked causing Rebecca, Mommy, and Daddy to laugh.
"Yes, we can have cake now." JJ grinned as she handed Joshua to Rebecca and set about pulling out the candles and cutting the cake, while Spence grabbed plates and forks.
"So what do you have planned for this weekend to celebrate?" JJ asked as they sat eating cake.
"Well, Chad is meeting my parents when we go out to dinner for my birthday." Rebecca replied. "and after that, I really don't know. He mentioned taking me out to celebrate my birthday, but won't tell me where."
Spence stood up from the table as the girl talk between JJ and Rebecca continued. He grabbed a cloth from the counter and ran it under warm water. Then he proceeded to clean up their frosting and cake coated children.
"Daddy, more cake?" Henry asked.
Spence laughed and shook his head. "Sorry buddy, no more cake for today."
Henry pouted. "Why? I wike cake."
JJ smirked as she and Rebecca turned to see how Spence was going to respond.
"I know you do big guy, but if we eat too much cake it will keep us from being big and strong." Spence replied.
"I stwong. See." Henry replied lifting up his arms and making a flexing his muscles move.
JJ bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"Wow, you're right. Those are some pretty big muscles!" Spence replied. "How about if we go outside and play?"
"Otay!" Henry replied, eagerly scrambling to get out of his booster seat and go outside and play with Daddy.
"You want to come with princess?" Spence asked Chloe as he washed her hands and face.
"Uh huh" Chloe nodded eagerly.
"Okay, let's go." Spence said stepping back so Chloe could climb down from her seat. "See you in a little bit." He said as he leaned down and kissed JJ; then he turned and blew a raspberry on Joshua's cheek as he sat in his high chair, causing the five month old to giggle and flail his arms and legs.
"Mmm" Spence moaned and swatted at the hand tickling his belly as he slept.
"Come on baby, wake up. It's a beautiful day outside. We can feed the kids and go for a run." JJ murmured in his ear as she pressed up behind him.
"Are the kids awake yet?" Spence mumbled into the pillow as he felt behind him to discover that JJ was still in her pajamas.
"No" JJ replied. "but I wasn't planning on waking them up for bit yet." She grinned as she kissed his neck and her hand wandered along the waistband of his pajama pants.
Spence grinned and rolled onto his back, pulling his wife on top of him. "And just what did you have in mind then?"
"Hmm" JJ murmured as she lowered her head to kiss Spence while her hand crept under the waistband of his pajama pants.
Spence groaned low in his throat turned his head to look at the alarm clock. He grinned as he saw the time. The kids would all be asleep for at least a couple more hours. He wrapped his arms around JJ and rolled to the side as he buried his face in his wife's neck and began to kiss her senseless.
SAC - Senior Agent in Charge
Tu eres un chico travieso. - You're a naughty boy.
Mi esposo - My husband