Paige and plot are mine, but unfortunately, I wasn't the one who came up with Criminal Minds. I also don't own any of the pop culture references in this chapter.
Please read and review!
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Penelope's group was the last one to arrive at the restaurant. Paige and Penelope walked in first, smiling and giggling, follwed by a stunned pair of men.
"What's wrong with you two?" Rossi asked Derek and Spencer.
"Oh, well, I gave Paige total control over the music choice and she had her iPod with her, so she picked Namie Amuro. I sang the English parts, and she did all the Japanese." Penelope informed them.
"I don't think they knew that I was fluent in Japanese." Paige said.
"Damn right we didn't, Rossi, how come you didn't tell us that she was a genius?" Derek replied.
"I didn't even know she spoke fluent Japanese! She told me she only knew some! And since when does Penelope listen to Japanese music?" Everyone laughed and made room for the other four to sit. They all ordered their meals.
Most of them had ordered burgers and fries with soda, and J.J. had ordered soup for Henry, along with some french fries. When it came time for Paige to order, she just tried to get by with a salad, but everyone made her order whatever she wanted.
"You guys, I'm really fine with a salad." she said.
"You don't want a thick juicy burger, with cheese and all the fixings, along with some crispy golden fries, and a cool, refreshing soda?" Rossi asked, using his profiling tactics on his daughter.
"Okay, okay, I'll order a burger." Paige said, giggling. "Shame on you, Dave, using your tactics on your own kid."
Everyone laughed at that. Rossi smiled at his daughter. He was really enjoying the bonding time. They all were.
They continued to chat, mostly about what school Paige would be attending. Neither Paige nor Rossi were completely sure what school she should go to.
"Well, when we get back to your house, I'll get on my laptop and track down the best schools in the district. Then you can visit them and narrow it down." Penelope said.
"Thanks Garcia," Rossi said. They all finished their meal and decided it was time to go back to work.
This time Prentiss and Morgan rode with Penelope and Paige, while Spencer rode with the rest. When they left the car and went into the house, the three girls were all laughing at a traumatized Morgan.
"What did they subject you to this time?" Rossi asked.
"You don't want to know." He answered. Rossi just looked at the girls quizzically, as they began singing. J.J. heard them and ran out to the group and joined in, laughing. All four girls were laughing and having fun, so Rossi let them be.
He motioned for Derek to leave them alone, because in his heart he knew that it would be good for Paige to laugh. Over the past week, she'd been terribly quiet, and he really wanted her to heal. Derek and Rossi left the girls to sing and dance and laugh. He had no idea what they were singing, but he figured they were enjoying themselves, so he didn't even bother asking.
A few minutes later, they decided that they should stop playing around and get to work, so Emily and J.J. took Henry to the kitchen; Reid and Morgan finished hauling boxes; Hotch and Rossi went to the second floor into a guest room; and Penelope followed Paige all the way up the stairs to help her decorate her room.
"You know Paige, I bet if you asked him, your dad would let you paint this room. What colors do you like?" Garcia said. Paige just shrugged.
"Come on, there's got to be some color you like." Penelope pressed.
"Well, I do like the moon and stars. And water." Paige said softly.
"See! You could do all blues." Penelope asked.
"Yeah, but that's a lot of work." Paige said.
"No, not really." Penelope said. "I'll be right back." Paige nodded and began to put her clothes in the closet.
Meanwhile, Penelope had tracked down Rossi. He was in one of the guest rooms.
"Rossi," she began.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"What do you think about totally redoing Paige's room?" She asked.
"I think that's a great idea, did she tell you she wanted to?" Rossi replied.
"I ran the idea past her and she seemed to want to. I would like to do a full room mural for her. Of the moon and stars and the ocean. Make it feel like night time on a Miami beach." Penelope said.
"That's a wonderful idea, Garcia. Get started on the design, and we'll find someone to paint it!" Rossi said.
"Yes sir, but there's still one thing. Where will she put all her posters?" Garcia asked.
"I suppose she could put them in here," he said, referring to the room they were in. "I'm turning it into her own personal office area, for studying. Do you think she'll like it?"
Garcia nodded, touched by his paternal skills. She dashed off to get her laptop. She sat in the kitchen, designing the mural and researching schools for Paige.
A few hours later, when the day's work was done, everyone was leaving. Penelope shared her finished design with Rossi and gave them the school list. Then she gave Penelope a hug and left them to have father-daughter time.