Hey guys and gals. Here's chapter 21 - I'm sorry that these chapters seem to be taking longer than it did with The Road Not Taken - but its a little bit harder lining up two universes at once to coincide, but be different - if you know what I mean. I'm working as quick as I can - I'm hoping to get us up to Christmas and the holidays of season 7 by the end of the year... then we'll taking a break from The Roads Series for a bit so I can work on some other things for a little while. The sequel for Sleight of Hand is so overdue to you all that it isn't even funny... plus I have a bunch of other story ideas that I want to get started on... plus - we can't get too close to where the actual series is - so we'll probably chip away slowly at updating The Roads Series once we get into the new year, at least until we get to the end of season 8... but don't worry - I promise to keep you all in material to read during the 'hiatus' for The Roads Series.
I want to say a deep and hearfelt thank you to all of you who nominated and voted for The Road Before Us as Best JJ/Reid story in the 2012 Profiler's Choice Awards over on Chit Chat On Author's Corner in the forums (if you've never checked it out - you totally should. There are always several things going on over there.) It was an honor to win. I also want to thank all of you who nominated and voted for The Road Not Taken in Best Het Romance category. Even though The Road Not Taken didn't win, it was still an honor to even be nominated in a wider category and I thank you.
But enough of my aimless ramblings... you clicked on that nifty link to find out what happens next... so on with the show... chapter - you knew what I meant. :D
Oh - before I forget - there's some additional scenes over at The Writer's Coffee Shop that couldn't be published here... the link is on my profile page. ;)
Happy reading and enjoy :D
JJ smiled as she rolled over in Spence's arms to see him still asleep. After months of troubled sleep, she was glad to see him sleeping peacefully. She gently peeled his hand from her waist as she kissed him on the forehead. Once free from his warm grasp, she slipped out of bed, grabbing the baby monitor as she slipped across the hall to check on Joshua.
The seven month old baby boy was just starting to stir when Mommy leaned over the edge of his crib to check on him. He gave a drool filled toothy grin to Mommy showing off his teeth, one on the top; one on the bottom, surrounded by gums. He kicked his feet happily as Mommy picked him up.
"Good morning baby boy." JJ said cuddling Joshua to her chest as she moved to the changing table in his nursery. "How about we change your diaper and go see if Chloe and Henry are awake?" she cooed to Joshua as she undid his footie pajamas and pulled his legs out.
Joshua's little face screwed up in displeasure as the cooler air hit his tummy and little legs.
"I know baby boy. Let's get you changed and then we can get you back in your pjs for a little bit until it's time to get dressed." JJ said as she bent over and blew a raspberry on Joshua's tummy, causing the baby boy to laugh.
Spence groaned into the pillow as he woke up and patted the empty spot beside him on the bed, looking for his wife, but not finding her. He was confused for just a moment until he heard JJ whispering to Chloe, Henry, and Joshua out in the hall and grinned into his pillow facing away from the door so that he wouldn't ruin the surprise they apparently had planned for him.
He listened with his eyes closed as Chloe and Henry followed JJ and Joshua into the room. He heard JJ set something down on the nightstand. Based on the delightful smell, he assumed it was breakfast. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as first Chloe and then Henry both whispered 'Now Mommy?'
"Ssshhh just a minute more." JJ whispered.
He felt one 35 pound weight drop on the bed next to him followed by a 30 pound weight. Then he felt the bed sink next to him. It would appear that Chloe, Henry, JJ, and Joshua were about to wake him up.
"Okay guys, go ahead and wake Daddy up." JJ said with a smile, holding Joshua in her lap, waiting for Spence to be awake before she un-leased their third baby on him.
Chloe and Henry bounced on their knees on the bed next to Daddy. "Wake up Daddy!" Chloe cheered.
"Happy birfay Daddy!" Henry chorused, remembering what Mommy had said about today being Daddy's birthday.
Spence rolled onto his back and made a production of stretching his arms over his head. "Good morning guys." He said as he wrapped his arms around Chloe and Henry. "What are you guys doing up so early?"
"It's your birthday!" Chloe said, giggling as Daddy squeezed her.
"It is?" Spence said as he winked at JJ. "Hmm I must have forgotten. Are you sure?"
"Uh huh" Henry nodded. "Mommy tay so."
Spence laughed. "Well if Mommy says it's my birthday then it must be true." He said as he smiled at JJ.
JJ smiled watching Chloe and Henry wish Daddy a happy birthday. "Go see Daddy baby boy." she whispered in Joshua's ear as she leaned down and sat him on the bed so that he could crawl to Daddy.
"Eeeeeeeee" Joshua screeched happily and then lurched forward crawling to Daddy, up to Daddy's belly.
Spence picked Joshua up and lifted him up over head for just a minute and then brought him down so that they were nose to nose. "What are you doing this morning little guy? Huh?"
Joshua squealed with delight and kicked his legs in the air, his hands patting Daddy on the face.
Spence lowered Joshua to sit on his belly and then JJ leaned forward. "Happy birthday baby." JJ whispered softly as she leaned down and gave Spence a quick peck on the lips. "Okay, who's ready for breakfast?"
"Me!" Chloe and Henry chorused together causing JJ and Spence to laugh.
"Me too." Spence replied.
"We helped." Chloe said proudly as Mommy picked up Joshua from Daddy's lap and then picked up the tray from the nightstand putting that in Daddy's lap.
"You did?" Spence asked.
Chloe and Henry both nodded eagerly. "Uh huh" they replied in unison, their little blond head's bobbing in time with each other.
Spence took a big bite. "Mm fis is fa best." He said around a big bite of pancakes as he chewed and swallowed causing Chloe and Henry to both smile proudly. "You know this is an awful lot of pancakes and bacon. You guys are going to help me eat all of this right?"
"Uh huh" Henry nodded. "Mommy tay today 'pecial and we tan eat wifs you in bed!" he said excited at the prospect.
"Huh, look at that. Extra plates and everything. Mommy thought of everything huh?" Spence said, winking at JJ as he pulled extra plates out from underneath the plate piled high with pancakes and bacon. He put a pancake and a couple of pieces of bacon on plates for Chloe and Henry and cut their pancake up for them. Then he put a little bit of syrup on the plate for them to dip their pancakes into. "Okay, you guys use the trays as a table here and…"
"What about Mommy?" Chloe asked.
"Tell you what," JJ said as she handed Joshua to Spence, "Daddy and I will share. How about that?"
"Okay." Chloe nodded happy that the logistics of a family breakfast in bed had been worked out.
JJ smiled and broke off a bite of pancakes and held it out to Spence who was momentarily confused as he grabbed a spoon and a jar of baby food, opening it to feed Josh. Then he grinned and opened his mouth for JJ to feed him. It wasn't exactly like being fed birthday cake in bed in years past… but it also wasn't an unpleasant way to start his birthday completely surrounded by wife and children.
Spence could hear JJ whispering to the kids as he came down the stairs from getting dressed and paused to watch his wife with their two oldest, their three blonde heads bent together while JJ whispered to them and then looked up and smiled at him. "Go on go ask Daddy." JJ said nudging Chloe and Henry towards him as she smiled at him.
"Daddy can we go to the park?" Chloe asked as she looked up at Daddy who was towering above her.
"You guys want to go to the park?" Spence asked as he sat down on the steps and pulled Chloe and Henry close.
"Uh huh" Henry nodded. "Mommy tay it you birfday so we gotsa ask you."
"She did, did she?" Spence asked as he looked at JJ who was seated on the couch with Joshua.
JJ bit her lip and nodded. She knew there was no way Spence was going to say no to taking the kids to the park, which fit in perfectly with her plans. While they were out with the kids, all of their friends and family would be descending on the house to prepare for Spence's surprise party. After all, you only turned 30 once.
It was a lovely fall morning to spend in the park, but JJ could tell the kids were getting hungry as she glanced at her watch. She hoped she'd given everyone enough time to get everything set up. "Are you guys hungry?"
"Yeah!" Chloe and Henry chorused as Daddy pushed them on the swings.
JJ smiled from where she stood in front of Josh pushing him in the baby swing to look at Spence who was facing her, standing behind Chloe and Henry, pushing them on the swings. "Well, what do you say we see if Daddy will grill out for us when we get home?" she asked with a smile at Spence.
Spence shook his head fervently. JJ just blew him a kiss. She knew he wouldn't need to grill out when they got home, but she did need him to open the garage door.
"You really want to grill out?" Spence asked as he pushed Chloe and Henry's stroller up the driveway. "Maybe we could just order pizza instead."
"Nope we just had pizza a few days ago baby." JJ replied with a smile on her face. "Just get out the grill and get it started. "We'll keep you company. Won't we guys?"
"Yeah. We keep you com'ny Daddy." Henry replied with a nod.
"Gee, thanks guys." Spence said, looking over his shoulder at JJ and the kids as he pushed in the code to open the overhead garage door so he could get out the grill.
"SURPRISE!" was chorused out by all of their close friends and family as the door rose up.
Spence stood gob smacked for a moment. "I… you…. I…. you…" He turned to look at JJ as she stepped up next to him.
"You didn't really think I was going to make you grill out on your birthday did you?" She asked as she grinned up at him.
"Happy birthday old man!" Morgan said as he stepped forward and slapped Reid on the shoulder. Then he pulled the infamous felt birthday cake hat from behind his back and tugged it down on Reid's head.
"I… you guys…" Spence glanced around as he took in the sight of all his friends, a table full of presents, a long table full of food already prepared, and at the back of the garage Mike, Chris, Ben, and Kyle stood tuning up the instruments. "Thanks baby." Spence whispered as he leaned down and kissed JJ.
"Mmm" JJ moaned into the kiss. "You're welcome." She said with a smile as she wiped her thumb across Spence's lower lip when they parted then she reached up and playfully tugged on the brim of the birthday hat and leaned in and kissed him again.
"Awww," Penelope cooed as she cleaned up Joshua's face and hands and removed his messy bib. "I was wondering if you were going to put it on him." She said as she turned to look at JJ.
"Of course I was." JJ replied with a smile. "Josh has worn every single one of the special occasion onsies that you made for him. Just like Chloe and Henry both did too." She said with a smile at her friend.
Josh sat happily kicking his feet and waving his arms, enjoying all of the attentions he was getting as the current youngest in the group, wearing his one of a kind Penelope Garcia-Morgan creation onsie that said, 'Today is my Daddy's Birthday'. Not that Josh was aware of what it said, but there were pictures in his baby book him wearing all of the fun, unique, and sometimes hilarious onsies Aunt Penelope had made. There were of course all of the holidays, but also some specially selected dates such as family birthdays, but JJ's favorite had been the three month onsie that only Pen could have come up with. It said 'I'm 3 months old today. Today may or may not be the day I became more than just a twinkle in my Daddy's eye.'
"We should probably get all of this stuff put away so that the guys can play huh?" Emily said as she glanced around the table.
"Not to mention so there's a place to put the cake later." JJ added.
"Okay campers let's do this." Penelope said as she stood up.
"Nope, not you pregnant lady. You sit down and relax. The other twenty some odd people here not including the kids can all chip in." Elle said laying her hand on Penelope's shoulder and guiding her back to the chair.
"Besides, someone needs to sit with Josh anyway." JJ said as she loaded her arms up with items to carry into the house and put away. "Might as well be his Aunt Penelope."
I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years
Spence smiled at his friends and family as the guys played on the mini stage in their garage. It felt good to do this again. He'd missed this while he'd been having the headaches. Today was shaping up to be a great birthday.
Hey my next thirty years I'm gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I've done
Maybe now I've conquered all my adolescent fears
And I'll do it better in my next thirty years
Hotch smiled and turned to Gideon who was standing next to him. Gideon didn't usually come to team gatherings, but he'd made a special exception for this one. Reid after all, was like a son to him in some ways. "It's been amazing hasn't it, to watch him grow up right in front of us? It seems like ages ago that you were telling me about the brilliant young holder of not one but three PHDs that you'd recruited to the team." Hotch said as he stood with his arms crossed, watching Reid.
Gideon nodded, "He's been through a lot in the last several years… but I think all of that has made him a better person, and falling in love, well falling in love makes all of us better people doesn't it?"
Hotch turned to follow the path of Gideon's gaze to find where Sarah and Emily stood together chatting. Yes, love certainly did seem to bring out the best in people.
My next thirty years I'm gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what I'm doing here
In my next thirty years
Emily shook her head where she stood talking with Sarah, Rossi, and Erin. She'd tried to continue to hate Erin Strauss-Rossi, but considering how she's come through for the team a couple of months ago, she'd decided the woman had earned, if not a clean slate, then at least a second chance. "You know Reid amazes me. I had so much to still figure out when I was thirty and he just seems like he has it all together. He's done more by the time he's thirty than so many of the people I know have done in their entire lives. Most people, me included, are just figuring out who they are when they turn thirty."
"He's a very blessed man to have figured out so early in life what's really important. Some of us take a little longer." Rossi replied, his arm tightening around Erin's shoulders.
Oh my next thirty years, I'm gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers
Maybe I'll remember my next thirty years
"What do you think pretty boy will look like in thirty years?" Morgan asked as he turned to Will and Elle and took a sip of his beer.
Elle tipped her head. "Something tells me he'll be able to pull off that sophisticated professor look he has working for him even better at 60 than he's been able to the last seven years." She chuckled and then took a sip of her beer.
"Mm hm" Penelope nodded in agreement. "Junior G-man will definitely be hip and happening. And can you imagine how those big brown eyes of his will be set off by a little bit of salt and pepper in his hair. Mmmmm." Penelope moaned.
Elle laughed just a bit, knowing all too well what was going on with her friend, having had the same issue herself, working with so many good looking men during her pregnancy as well. She leaned into Penelope. "Hormones?"
"God yes." Penelope whispered in reply. "My hot chocolate stud muffin is sooooo getting jumped when we get home."
My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years
In my next thirty years
-My Next Thirty Years – Tim McGraw
JJ smiled as Spence stepped off the stage and leaned down and kissed her. She giggled as the brim of the birthday hat that everyone had insisted he keep on brushed across her forehead.
Spence made a funny face at Joshua, who was on JJ's hip, as he pulled out of the kiss. Joshua giggled and squirmed as he reached for Daddy's hat while Daddy tickled his belly.
Suddenly he had a two year old clamped onto one leg and a three year old clamped onto the other leg.
"Aun' 'Nelope tay it time for cake!" Henry said excitedly as he leaned back and looked up at Daddy.
JJ chuckled knowing just how out of control Penelope's hormones were making her. Of course the pregnant lady wanted cake. She also hadn't missed the way Penelope had been eyeing all of adult males all afternoon long. After three children there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Penelope would be molesting her husband when she got home. Somehow, she didn't think Morgan would mind.
"She did?" Spence asked and then turned to look at Chloe.
Chloe nodded her head causing her blonde curls to bounce. "Yep" she said popping the p. "She telled us to come get you so you can make a wish and blow out your candles."
"Okay, we better go sit down so Daddy can make a wish and blow out the candles then." JJ said then leaned up to kiss Spence again. "What are you going to wish for?" she murmured against his lips.
"I have no idea." Spence replied with a smile.
"I'm sure you'll think of something. After all, you're a genius." JJ teased and tugged on the brim of the hat. Then she turned and guided Chloe and Henry to sit down so that they could see Daddy blow out the candles on his birthday cake, all 30 of them.
"Hey JJ" Morgan called out over the crowed, "Did you get a fire permit for that cake?" causing laughter to ring out through the group.
Hours later exhausted families left for home, between all the food, music, cake and all the kids running around playing together, everyone was sure to sleep well tonight.
Aaron grinned as he slid into bed next to Emily and kissed her shoulder while she was putting lotion on her legs. "You know, I don't want you to think that just because we didn't have a big party for your birthday, that I forgot." He said slid behind her, kissing her neck while he held a beautifully wrapped gift in front of her.
"Oh Aaron" Emily gasped in surprise as she opened the gift, revealing a mother's necklace with birth stones for Declan, Jack, Avery, and Seth. Then she turned her head to look at him. "I know that nobody forgot. JJ wanted it to make it a joint party for Reid and I both since our birthdays are only a few days apart, but I told her no. Thirty is such a big birthday and I didn't want to steal any of the spot light from Reid." she said.
"Mm hm" Aaron murmured. "Something tells me that you, Mrs. Hotchner, just didn't want to publicly celebrate your 41 birthday." Aaron replied with a teasing twinkle in his eye and a grin on his face.
Emily groaned. "Don't say it out loud. If you don't say it out loud, I can pretend to be a younger woman."
"As far as I'm concerned you will always be a younger woman." Aaron replied wiggling his eyebrows.
"You old letch." Emily laughed slapping Aaron on the shoulder.
"If you think I'm a letch now, you should have heard my thoughts the first time we met." Aaron replied, trailing his finger up and down Emily's arm.
Emily settled back against his chest. "Yeah, I can hear them right now. Who is this chick and what does she think she's doing sitting in my office?" Emily said, dropping her voice low to try and impersonate Aaron.
Aaron shook his head. "No, not that time. The time we met when you were going away to Yale."
"Oh" Emily asked quirking an eyebrow as she tipped her head back to look at Aaron. "Well, then by all means Special Agent Hotchner, you should show me exactly what you were thinking about. But we'll have to be quiet. My parents will be so disappointed if they catch me with the help just before I leave for school. My mother has big plans for me, and they don't include me marrying an FBI Agent, even one as gorgeous as you." Emily said in a low sultry voice and then laughed at the look on her husband's face. "What? You said I'll always be a younger woman… is an 18 year old Emily Prentiss too much for you to handle?" Emily asked as turned and rose up on her knees running her pointer finger down her husband's white t-shirt covered chest.
Aaron grinned, his hips settling on Emily's waist. "Who am I to deny the birthday girl? After all, once you go away to Yale who knows if we'll ever see each other again." He replied falling into his role.
Emily grinned and lowered herself into Aaron's lap. "Something tells me we'll meet again Agent Hotchner," Emily grinned as she lowered herself into her husband's lap, "and that it will be a very productive and fruitful union."
Aaron couldn't help it. His head dropped back on his shoulders and he laughed.
"Sssh" Emily murmured as she kissed him. "You'll wake the kids up and then we won't be able to celebrate my birthday."
"Right, we wouldn't want that now would we?" Aaron asked as he pulled Emily close with one arm around her lower back, drawing her further into his lap while his other hand cupped her neck and jaw as he pulled her in for a deep and needy kiss.
Emily's head tipped back as Aaron ground against her. He took advantage of the opportunity to kiss along the column of her neck. Then he lowered her back onto the bed and rose up above her on his knees pulling his t-shirt off over his head before lowering himself over her.
"Mmm" Emily moaned as Aaron lowered his weight on top of her. "Why Agent Hotchner, I think you forgot to take off your side arm. Someone as innocent as me might accidentally get shot."
Aaron shook his head. "You do know that I know you were anything but innocent at 18, right?" he asked quirking an eyebrow at his wife.
Emily grinned. "Yeah, but you didn't know that back then honey. You do have a permit for this concealed weapon don't you?" she teased as she nudged her thigh against his erection. Her laughter stopped when Aaron leaned back down to kiss her and drug the t-shirt she was wearing up over her head leaving her in only her panties.
"Hey," JJ whispered as she met Spence in the hallway as he was coming out from tucking Chloe and Henry in for the night and she was coming out from just putting Josh down for the night.
"Hey, thanks for today. It was a great day." Spence whispered in reply as they turned and went in their bedroom.
Spence sat down on the edge of their bed, kicking off his shoes and peeling off his socks and then leaned back on the bed, waiting for JJ.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it baby." JJ called out from their bathroom where she was pulling a quick change.
"Yeah, I…" Spence started to speak but then trailed off as JJ appeared in the doorway of their walk-in closet.
"You what?" JJ asked as she walked towards Spence, the hem of the short hot pink silk robe she was wearing, just barely skimming the middle of her thighs.
"Uh…really enjoyed it." Spence replied as his eyes moved up and down his wife's body.
"That's good. That was the plan." JJ replied as she stepped between Spence's thighs where he sat on their bed. "But now I'm thinking…" JJ said as she trailed her hands up Spence's thighs, "that you," her hands moved up his sides and across his chest, "are entirely overdressed for the private party that I have planned just for us." She finished as she untucked and began to unbutton his shirt.
Spence ran his hands up and down the creamy skin of his wife's thighs as she unbuttoned his shirt, the silk of her pink robe tickling the backs of his hands every time his hands slipped just under the edge of the robe.
JJ giggled as she peeled Spence's shirt off of him and then lifted her hand to his forehead. "You have a line from wearing that birthday cake hat almost all day." She said as she gently traced her fingers over the indent in his forehead and then leaned forward, kissing along the line on his forehead.
Spence slipped his arms around JJ's waist as she planted kisses along his forehead and then all over the rest of his face. He tightened his grip when her lips met his in a hungry kiss.
Then JJ broke the kiss, taking a step backwards and reaching behind her for Spence's hands. "Come on baby. Stand up."
"Mm nn" Spence grumbled from where his face was buried in JJ's neck.
"Mm.. oh God Spence." JJ moaned in response to Spence kissing along her neck. "You're still overdressed baby. Come on; stand up so I can take your pants off."
"Oh, well why didn't you just say so?" Spence teased with a grin as he lifted his head and then stood up and followed JJ as she stepped away from their bed, his hands resting on her hips.
JJ shrugged as she looked up at Spence. "What would be the fun in that?" she replied with a flirty wink and a wicked grin as her nimble fingers undid his belt buckle, the button on his favorite pair of corduroys and lowered the zipper. Her fingers and palms dragged along his ass and thighs as she pushed his pants off his slim hips and they dropped to the floor.
"Aren't you the one who's overdressed now?" Spence asked as his fingers trailed along the silk covering his wife's body.
JJ shook her head. "No."
"You're not?" Spence asked in confusion as JJ backed him up to the bed.
JJ smiled. "Nope," She replied as she placed her hand in the center of his chest and pressed, pushing him back on their bed and then crawled up after him, hovering over him. "You still have one more present to open baby."
"Oh" Spence replied, his eyes widening in understanding as JJ settled in on top of him and leaned down to kiss him, her fingers tangling in his hair as he pulled her closer, his arms winding around her waist.
JJ moaned into the kiss, feeling Spence getting hard against her leg. She pulled out of the kiss and swung one of her legs over Spence and pushed herself up, straddling his waist. She rubbed his chest and belly as she sat perched above him.
Spence ran his hands up and down JJ's thighs, as she sat straddled above him, just watching her for moment and realizing how lucky he was. He certainly hadn't expected to be here at this point by the time he was 30, if ever. "I love you JJ." He murmured as he slid his hands up to her waist, resting on the belt holding her robe closed.
"I love you too baby." JJ replied as she pulled one of Spence's hands off her waist and lifted it to her kips, kissing the palm. Then she lowered his hand back to her waist, resting it on the tie of her robe.
Spence watched JJ's eyes as his fingers pulled on the ends of the belt to her robe. His hands went to her hips as her hot pink robe fell open. "JJ God babe…" he groaned at the sight of the very sexy hot pink demi cup lace bra and matching hot pink lace panties, both of which matched her robe.
"You like it baby?" JJ asked as she leaned down, bracing herself on her forearms as she leaned down over her husband, her hair cascading around his face in a golden curtain.
"Like is an understatement babe." Spence murmured against her lips as his hands slid up JJ's ribcage, enjoying caressing all of the newly exposed flesh.
JJ collapsed against Spence's chest, gasping as she pressed soft kisses against his neck. "Happy birthday baby. I love you."
"I love you too JJ." Spence replied as he moved her robe out of the way to kiss her shoulder while his other hand rubbed up and down her back as she lay splayed across the top of him, covering him with her slim body. He reached up and pulled her robe from her shoulders, dragging it down her arms, and tossed it to the side of the bed. Then he wrapped his arms around her back, undoing the clasp of her bra. "Come on JJ, lift up." Spence said, kissing her shoulder again as he slid her bra straps down her shoulders, pausing when they rested on her upper arms as she was still pressed against his chest.
"What, are you ready for round two already birthday boy?" she teased as she lifted her upper body just enough that he was able to slip her bra down and she her arms out of the straps.
Spence smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "Maybe in a little bit, if you want, but you can't fall asleep wearing these. They'll chafe." He explained as he tossed her bra off to the side to join her robe on the floor of their bedroom and then rested his hands on her hips, toying with the waistband of her panties as he started to peel it down from her hips. "Come on babe, lift up." Spence murmured as he nuzzled against the blonde crown of JJ's head where it was buried against his chest.
"Un uh" JJ mumbled into his chest.
"Why not?" Spence asked in confusion as he kissed the top of her head.
"Don't want you to move… I like where you are right now." JJ said as she lifted her head and kissed the center of her husband's chest as she used her internal muscles to clench him again in his softening state.
"JaaaayJaaaaay" Spence groaned, dragging out his wife's name as he tugged again on her panties.
"Oh fiiiiiiiiine" JJ wined, teasing in response as she lifted her hips, gasping as Spence pulled out of her and her panties slid down her legs. She managed to kick her legs free, her panties joining their pile of discarded clothes.
"Thank you" Spence murmured as he caressed the naked expanse of JJ's back, his hands delighting in stroking across the planes of silky smooth skin.
"For what?" JJ asked as she propped her head up on Spence's chest to look at him.
Spence shrugged. "Another great birthday, three great kids, our family, our life together, loving me… any of it… all of it."
JJ smiled and scooted up, her fingers running lightly over Spence's face as she looked down at him, from her perch on his chest, her legs dangling to either side of his hips. "You're welcome baby… but just so you know, I have to thank you for all of the same things." She whispered as she beamed down into the swirling depths of the beautiful brown eyes of the one she loved.
"Here are Jack's standardized test scores." Jack's teacher said as the laid the test scores down on the table she was sitting at with Aaron, Haley, and Emily. "Jack tells me that you read together every night, whichever home he's at." The teacher said with a smile.
"We just finished 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' last night." Aaron said with a smile as he glanced up from looking at Jack's test scores with Haley and Emily.
"I wish you could work with all of my kids." The teacher smiled as she looked at Jack's father, mother, and step-mother. She wished more of the children had as strong of a support system and as many people that loved and cared about them as Jack obviously did.
"He's reading at a fourth grade level?" Haley asked, slightly amazed. She knew Jack was bright, but for her six year old son to be reading at a fourth grade level… she smiled as she turned to look at Aaron and Emily. "That's really, really good right?" she asked as she turned to look back at Jack's teacher.
The teacher nodded. "Yes and as you can see, his scores are high across the board," she paused for a moment, "but he seems to be holding back in the classroom."
"Why do you think that is?" Aaron asked in concern.
"Has he ever mentioned a classmate named Paul?" the teacher asked.
"Paul Kane?" Aaron asked.
"Mm hm" the teacher nodded.
Emily, Haley, and Aaron all nodded as Aaron spoke. "Yes, he's been over. He's a friend of Jack's."
"Well Paul is being mean to Jack for some reason." The teacher explained.
"How long has that been happening?" Haley asked in concern.
"A few weeks," the teacher answered, "Jack's just his latest target. We've moved Jack away from Paul and we're documenting everything of course."
Haley sat confused for a moment as to why Jack wouldn't have told them he was being picked on. Haley opened her mouth to speak, but Aaron reached over and set his hand on her arm, silencing her as he spoke. "Well Jack says everything is going very well at school, so the steps you're taking must be working."
"Thank you" the teacher replied.
"Let us know if anything changes." Aaron replied. "Can we keep this?" he asked with a nod to the standardized test scores on the table in front of him, Emily and Haley.
"Thank you so much." Aaron said as he stood up followed by Haley and Emily.
"Why didn't Jack tell us about being picked?" Haley asked as the three of them walked out of the school together.
Emily glanced sideways at Aaron, who appeared to be mulling the situation over in his head. "He wants to try to fix it himself." Emily replied as they reached where they and Haley had parked.
Haley nodded. "I guess he's not a baby anymore huh?"
Aaron shook his head. "No, no he's not."
Haley frowned. "So how do we handle this?"
"I think we keep an eye on things and see if Jack can work it out on himself. As much as we love him, and as much as we want to protect him, we have to let him try on his own first. We can talk to him tonight and make sure that he knows he can always come to us." Aaron replied.
Haley nodded. "It was so much easier when all it took was a hug and a kiss to make everything better in his world."
Emily smiled, knowing exactly what Haley was talking about. "Well the good news is that kisses and hugs still will make him feel better, it just doesn't magically fix everything like it did a few years ago."
"I guess we have to let him grow up." Haley said somewhat nostalgically. "So," she said as she turned to look at Aaron, "I'll see you tonight, unless something comes up?"
Aaron nodded. "I'll call and let you know if we get a case otherwise I'll come over at seven?" he said, his voice inflecting a question on the time he should come over.
"Seven works. You can spend some time with Jack and I'm sure he'd like it if you tucked him in." Haley replied as she opened her car door. "Talk to you later or see you tonight."
Aaron nodded in reply. He and Emily waved as Haley backed out of her parking space. Then he opened the car door for Emily so they could head to the BAU for their briefing.
"Phew" Spence blew out a sigh in response to the destruction caused by the bomb as he, JJ, and Elle walked into Principal Gibbons' bedroom.
JJ took in the sight of the destruction caused by the bomb as she followed Spence into the room and chose to focus on the case so that they could find whoever was behind this as quickly as possible. "Okay, so the unsub has to be tied to the school somehow right?" she asked as she walked through the room, her boots crunching small pieces of debris as she walked through the scene. "Current student, alumni, family member who lost someone" she listed off possible connections as she slowly turned to take in the room.
"Could be a Slade groupie celebrating his hero." Spence replied. "He taped nails to the exterior of the bomb specifically to rip open flesh. That's a sadistic detail of Slade's the unsub copied."
"Except he tricked Gibbons into blowing himself up," JJ said as she stood up from leaning over to look at some damage done to the wall, "a groupie probably wouldn't show that much self-control."
Elle nodded in silent agreement as she stood in the center of the room taking in the damage the bomb blast had caused and trying to remember everything Morgan had taught her about explosives over the years.
"Somebody with an axe to grind would. Maybe he was a surrogate for the tormentors in high school he can't punish. Who were yours?" Spence asked offhand, turning to look at Elle. JJ being his wife, they'd already thoroughly discussed most of their personal history. He'd heard all about how cruel children in a small town could be when an older sibling committed suicide. Somehow, JJ had managed to rise above it and instead of allowing being tormented by others become a reason to become a mean girl herself; she'd allowed it to drive her, to use it as her reason to push harder. After all, she had been valedictorian and a soccer scholarship recipient. She'd used her gifts and talents to get her out of a small town and to somewhere she would be able to make a difference and help people.
Elle smiled. "You're right everybody has somebody tormenting them in high school whether you're one of the popular kids or not. For me, I took a lot of flak for growing up without a Dad. Kids can be cruel sometimes and they can always figure out what your weakness is and how to use it to hurt you the most."
JJ and Spence both nodded, knowing from their own pasts just how true that was.
"So," Elle said as she looked around the room again, "do you think we have enough fragments that we'd get anything from profiling the bomb itself?"
Spence tipped his head in contemplation. "Between the size of the original charge, the force of the blast and the added component of the nails, I don't think there's enough material left to be able to reconstruct the bomb. Besides it looks like it was pretty basic. The phone was probably hooked directly to the charge." He said as he knelt down looking at the few remaining pieces of the bomb.
"How can you tell that?" JJ asked as she knelt down next to Spence, taking this as an opportunity to learn. Sometimes you didn't just have to profile people and their actions, but also the objects they used or didn't use.
"Agent Rossi was always very nice to Brandon. Let him do it." Martha Slade said as she looked at Agent Hotchner through her front door.
"Dave" Hotch turned and called over his shoulder as Martha Slade let him and Emily into the house.
"Okay, feel free to call me if you have any other background questions. My number is 702-555-0103." Morgan said, wrapping up talking to the press so that he and Rossi could join Hotch and Emily in talking with the Slades.
"And what's your name sir?" one of the reporter's asked.
"Ugh, it's Dr. Spencer Reid. R-E-I-D." Morgan said as he leaned in towards the reporter wanting to make sure that they had Reid's name.
"Jerry Holtz?" Emily asked as she walked up to the latest crime scene that JJ and Reid were examining. "How long?"
"Less than an hour." JJ replied, her hands resting on her hips. "Security guard heard the commotion, but the unsub was already gone."
"The only people who knew we were doing the cognitive interviews were the other survivors. The unsub must be part of that group." Emily replied.
"Well we don't know that for a fact. He could have been lying in wait. Look Hotch wants me to go through the victims' lives and find the overlap. We can compare their histories with the unsub's."
"Well, what else do we have going?" Emily asked as she turned and looked around at the high school hallway.
"Spence said the unsub would have broken his hand beating Chelsea to death. Did you see anyone with a cast on their hand, someone who seemed hurt?" JJ asked.
"No" Emily replied shaking her head.
"I might know why." Reid replied from where he was knelt down examining the broken glass and damage to the trophy case. Then he turned to look up at Emily and JJ. "This unsub doesn't feel pain."
As Hotch turned and walked away to speak with Garcia, Reid moved to pull all of his files together where they lay on the table. "I will crush you." he said under his breath.
"What?" Morgan asked.
"What?" Reid repeated.
Elle crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow at Rossi and Morgan. "I don't know what exactly the two of you did," she said as she took stock of the two of them smirking as they watched Reid walk away, "but the two of you better hope you're prepared for whatever form of revenge Reid comes up with. You do realize that Caltech and MIT are famous for their prank wars against each other and that Reid has degrees from both schools don't you?" she asked feeling satisfied on Reid's behalf as she watched the smirks on both Rossi and Morgan's faces slip just a little bit and concern crept onto their faces as they looked at each other and then back in the direction that Reid had walked.
"Hey do you ladies want some help?" Elle asked as she walked into the room that Emily and JJ were using to search through old yearbooks, looking for anything that could tell them more about who the survivors had been ten years ago.
"I thought you were working with the guys on some things?" Emily asked.
Elle nodded. "Reid got us all up to speed on the unsub not feeling pain… and Morgan and Rossi are irritating me right now."
"Care to share?" JJ asked.
"Oh, I'm sure Reid will tell you all about it later." Elle replied. "Let's just focus on catching this guy so we can go home."
"Alright then, here you go." Emily said, handing Elle one of the yearbooks.
"It's so weird seeing yearbooks again." Emily said as she flipped through the pages. "A friend of mine who teaches said that Facebook is making them obsolete."
"Have you ever seen Hotch or Reid's yearbooks?" Elle asked curiously. She'd seen Will's. It was always entertaining to see who someone had been before you knew them.
Emily sighed. "Yes… but then looking at all the sickeningly sweet pictures of Aaron and Haley together almost made me sick… until I remembered that I'm with him now and that someday they will be a great memory for Jack."
JJ shook her head. "Spence doesn't have his."
"Reid doesn't have his yearbooks? Who doesn't have their yearbooks?" Elle asked in surprise.
"Someone who doesn't want to remember high school." JJ replied a little sadly at the thought of all her husband had endured at such a young age.
Elle winced, wondering how many bad memories whatever was going on with Morgan and Rossi was bringing up. "I suppose that's true."
JJ nodded and glanced back down at the yearbook on the table in front of her. "I am having serious flashbacks going through these senior bios. Four years of accomplishments boiled down to one paragraph." She said as she flipped a page. "Hey did either of your schools have anything called 'Top Ten'?"
"Mm no. Is it an academic thing?" Emily asked.
"No, I don't think so." JJ replied. "Only ten of the survivors listed, including Jerry and Chelsea and neither of them were valedictorian material."
"Maybe it was a popularity contest?" Elle suggested as she came to stand next to JJ, looking down at the same page in the yearbook.
"Well, maybe it's a clique inside a clique." Emily suggested as the three of them looked down at the photos of the survivors.
"Yeah, but it's jocks, nerds, theatre geeks, nothing that would bring these kids together… except…" JJ trailed off as she realized just who these kids were. Emily was right. It was a clique inside a clique. The kids in the 'Top Ten' were the kids who'd spoken to the public, visited other schools, and been on talk shows.
"What?" Emily asked as she turned to look at JJ realizing that she was onto something.
"I know what the 'Top Ten' is." JJ replied.
"Morgan, what are you doing?" Rossi asked as he walked into the bullpen from the break room with a cup of coffee on the way back to his office.
Morgan stood at Reid's desk, a jar of Vaseline in his hands that he was liberally smearing on the ear and mouth piece of Reid's phone. Morgan turned to look at Rossi and grinned. "You heard me tell pretty boy on the plane that paybacks are a bitch. I'm started my payback." Morgan said shaking the handset of Reid's phone. "You want in?" he asked.
"Oh, I want no part of this." Rossi replied. "I was serious when I waved the white flag on the jet. You're on your own. I don't want to hear about anything you have planned for Reid." Rossi said with a shake of his head as he headed for his office.
Hotch shook his head and grinned, as he stood with his arms crossed, watching Morgan down in the bullpen through the window in his office. He decided he was going to handle this the same way he, Haley, and Emily were handling Jack's situation with Paul. He was going to let them work it out for themselves. He'd just keep an eye on them to make sure that they didn't get too out of hand.