Undercover Family

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

Chapter 19.

Sunday in Chicago starts off with a boom. Our agents jumped up in their beds, completely disoriented as to where they were. Aaron screams as the boom hurts his ears, Spencer and Emily whimper for the same reason. The others ran to the window expecting to see some kind of disaster outside and what they saw was just a gray and wet sidewalk and buildings. Another boom with a streak of lightening crossed the sky and a sigh of relief came through the older kids realizing it is just a thunderstorm. Turning around, they see a more comical yet weird site of momma trying to calm down crying children who look like adults to our agents. The boss man is sitting in his crib with his hands over his ears crying, the little genius is out of bed by the crib with his arms around momma with his face at her waist and our strong little woman is lying back in bed with the covers over her head and looking like she was shaking. JJ and Penelope go over to Emily and grabbed her from under the covers and held her until she stopped shaking enough to explain to her that it was just a clap of thunder. It wasn't easy for this to happen, when it seemed that every few minutes another boom occurred. David went to the crib and grabbed the boss man, while Derek tried to peel Spencer off momma. After a while, our three youngest calmed down enough to hear that it is just a thunderstorm and their more adult personas began to take control.

While the older children had the little ones, momma ordered breakfast and got dressed. After which she took Spencer to the bathroom and cleaned him up and gave him the biggest hug she could. He says to her that he was sorry that he acted so childish and her response was that she loved it and he could do that anytime he wanted to. At that he hugged her and said thank you but he hopes he doesn't have to. They both smile and leave the room. She took Emily next and talked to her the same way. Emily couldn't believe that she could act that way from just a thunderclap, as momma explains it was just part of the conditioning of her child personality and its age. When she was that age originally she had a bad scare and it just came out again because right now her walls are down. "What walls?" "The walls that we create as we age to protect ourselves from the terrors that we continue to feel and have learned are not really existent; but fears never really over away."

A soft knock on the door, momma opens it and David is standing there holding Aaron.

"Are you ready for number three?" Momma takes Aaron and leaves the bathroom with Emily following behind. JJ goes in. Momma changes Aaron's diaper and then feeds him his morning bottle. The breakfast arrives and the kids dig into the pancakes and syrup that momma had sent up, along with juice and milk. Even Aaron got a pancake fed to him, even though he wouldn't let anyone put him down. He actually was transferred from person to person; everyone seemed to want to feed a little to the boss man today.

As the rain poured down outside, our family is just sitting around in their pajamas or shorts wondering what they should do today, this is their last full day in Chicago. Momma mentions that she planned to take them to the aquarium or to the zoo, but since it is raining it might not be a prudent thing to do. She asks them what they would like to do. They could stay in and play in the pool and stuff or risk the rain and go out. There is some discussion among our agents and they actually decide that they want to go out. Even though it is raining, they would love to go see the aquarium that Chicago has. Most of the time when they go to cities other than their home, they don't get to see the museums and sites, they would like to take advantage of it, even Derek, who grew up in this city has not seen the aquarium since they remodeled and updated it. So our group begin to dress and get out their collapsible rain slickers that momma had given them. Momma prepares the stroller and gets the diaper bag and a bag for water bottles ready to go. Dressing Aaron in a cute short-all set and she put Spencer in a short-all set that was identical to the one she put on Aaron. Nobody knew that she had some matching outfits, until she brought another set for Emily. She didn't get any others out, because she couldn't find it in the older kids' sizes. To their relief, it was very cute with bright colors and little animals on it. The only difference between the three outfits is that Aarons had snaps down the inside legs, in order to make it easier for momma to change him.

Heading out the door is momma with Aaron and Spencer in the stroller, the bags under the stroller seats and followed by five other children; Penelope is 14 again. Momma put one of those plastic stroller rain covers on the stroller to protect the little ones from the rain, the others wearing rain slickers and momma in her rain coat and hat. They go out onto Michigan Avenue and wait for the bus; they catch the #146, which takes them right to the aquarium on museum campus. They stand in line to enter the building and after paying the admission for her and the children. They check out the map and go to the different galleries to see the exhibits, first off were the waters of the world, which shows animals and plants that grow in the 90 different habitats around the world, including the oceans, wetlands, big and small rivers and lakes. They enjoyed watching the animals throughout the habitats and trying to search where those that like to hide are hidden. They go to the Amazon Risings exhibits next and see the animals and bugs of the Amazon jungle in the South American Rain forests, although the girls hated seeing the spiders, they were glad they at least they were behind a glass display, until they came to the corner and there was a trainer showing the people sitting around what a tarantula was like and offered for the little ones to try touching it. Emily said no way. Spencer wanted out of the stroller to see it and momma got him out to try to touch it. He squealed with delight. Momma let Aaron out as well so that he could enjoy the place a little more by getting up close to things.

Before leaving the area they go to the 360 degree display of the Caribbean Reef and watch the hundreds of fish, mammals and coral floating in the rotunda.

They head to the wild reef where they see sharks, eels and coral and view how people are trying to restore and save the remaining wild reefs in the world.

The next exhibit they go to see is the Oceanarium with its whales, dolphins, sea otters and sea lions. From there they go the Polar Play Zone, where children can get close to the animals, by dressing up like penguins, traveling in a submarine and many other places to run and play and do things. Momma loved watching the children run to the different things and play with the different things. Derek looked adorable as a penguin and watching these "adults" as children; it is interesting how when we let loose our adult inhibitions and just play, we just become the most free and happy.

Gideon used laughter of old movies and comedies to help teach that sometimes you have to let loose to release the tensions of the very hard jobs that these agents have. They have to get inside the minds of serial killers and rapists and kidnapper, in order to understand and to stop them. Those minds aren't easy to get back out of the minds of our agents. They experience those feelings that the perpetrators do and the victims experience. Elle once said that didn't understand why Aaron never smiled. It is because he is good at being an agent and the experiences of those they apprehend. He doesn't often have a lot to smile about, even when married; he always felt that he had to rush. There was never enough time to do all for those he wanted to do for people and who expected things from him. There was never any time for him.

The experience of being children, I think is going to help these agents be better and more efficient at what they do. It is wonderful watching Aaron and the other agents have fun in a very relaxed and casual atmosphere and without caring what others might think.

By the time, they get through all these exhibits, it is early afternoon and there are seven hungry children, momma had given Aaron a bottle at around noon and some drinks to the little ones, but the older children haven't had anything since breakfast. They stop at the Deep Ocean Café which is in the Polar Play Zone and has foods designed with the child's wants in mind. They sit and have lunch; momma puts Aaron in the stroller to eat, while Spencer sat with the others at the table. After lunch, the family goes to check out the new exhibit called Fantasea, where trainers work with the dolphins and other water animals. The animals have been trained to do flips and twists and loops, it was quite enjoyable for all of our children. After lunch, Aaron falls asleep in the stroller and the others just walked with her as they explored more of the aquarium and then after a while decide to head back to the hotel as it was beginning to get late.

Spencer got into the stroller and fell asleep, while the others walk with momma to the bus stop and catch the return bus to the hotel. By the time, they got back there, the sky had cleared up some and the sun came out. The city was beginning to get extremely muggy and humid; Emily started to complain and was very tired. When they got to the room, momma had her in bed taking a nap before she even took the boys out of the stroller. David and the girls asked if they could go to the pool, momma gave permission with a time limit of 6:00 pm. Derek was asked to go swimming with them, but he didn't answer because he was already on the bed sleeping. Momma placed Spencer next to Derek and Aaron into the crib. She sat down in to the chair and closed her eyes as well.

A few hours later, she wakes up when she is nudged, opening her eyes, she sees eight eyes looking at her, six from three faces standing in front of her and two from the crib a few feet away.

Spencer says, "Mommy, are you okay?"

"Yes, baby, I am okay. I just took a rest like you had been doing; sometimes you can take a lot out of a person." She smiles and gives hugs to her young ones around her. "Where are your brother and sister?"

"We haven't seen them", Says Emily.

"Derek, could you check out what time it is please?" He goes over to the phone and looks at the time; it says 5:38pm. The others aren't due back until 6:00. "What would you like for dinner tonight? "

"Chicken" "Cheeseburger" "Kung pao beef" "Burrito"

"Aaron, if you think that I'm feeding you Kung pao beef think again." Momma gets up from her chair, takes him out of the crib and changes his dirty diaper. While they are discussing dinner, the swimmers return, wet and tired from their day.

Penelope goes to flop on the bed when momma says, "Stop, take a shower and change your clothes before you get on the bed and that goes for you two as well." Looking pointedly at JJ and David, they sit on the floor and wait for her to get out of the shower. "We were discussing dinner plans, what would you two like for dinner?"

"What are the choices?" "I don't care." "Well, the choice is whatever you want when we get to the place and you will get a choice. There is a fast food style mall just a block or so north of here. They have a steak sandwich place, McDonalds, oriental, Mexican, anything you want."

Penelope gets out of the bathroom and JJ goes in to clean up. After she and then David clean up, the family goes to the mall and everyone gets something different from each of the food places. The head back to the hotel and eat. While eating, momma starts to pack up the room, so they can leave tomorrow to head home to Harvard. There are a lot of new things to pack up, including the toys they made at the navy pier, the toys and dolls that the girls bought, and souvenirs from the taste of Chicago and the aquarium. Of course, momma anticipated this by bringing two collapsible zippered bags that were empty and packed in the big suitcase. So she is able to get it all packed up except for the clothes they would be wearing tomorrow and tonight's pajamas.

It was a good time in Chicago for our family.