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 21.
"We don't need Bob to come over. We don't need a babysitter. Penelope will be here."
"No, she won't, she has a date with a young man that she met at the parlor. I am not leaving you home alone, I understand JJ but I don't think you are old enough yet, to take care of yourself and the others. So Bob is coming over to watch you tonight."
"We are not really children, we can look after ourselves; even Aaron can do that."
"Aaron can't even walk up the stairs by himself."
"That's not the point." Momma looks at her in wonderment as to what the point was. "The point is that we are not really children who need to be babysat."
"I agree that you are not really children, I disagree that you do not need a babysitter. The rest of the neighborhood knows what your ages are and I don't think they would approve of you being home alone. Yes, you are twelve years old and if it was just you and David; that would be different. But with Derek and the three little ones, I think it is too much for the two of you to care for alone. Spencer still has the cast on his arm and will need help eating, going to the bathroom and dressing himself for bed. Aaron does not like anyone else changing his diaper, you know that. He allowed it once from David, because he had no choice, but he is very conscious of the fact that he is your boss and he does not want you to see him as anything but that. I think he allowed from David, because they have been friends for a great longer than the rest of you and at one time, David was Aaron's boss. The boss man is very conscious of that fact. I chose Bob to come and watch because he does know that you are really adults even though to him you look like children. If I had someone else, they wouldn't know that and I think that would be bad for you and for Aaron, in having his diaper changed by a stranger. He may not like being changed by Bob, but I think he can live with that."
"Why do you have to go out anyway?"
"Ross is a very old friend of mine and he is in town only for one night, it is not like I am trying to get you a step-father. It is just two old friends getting together. Don't you think that adults should be able to go out once in a while without their children?"
"You told Derek that you wouldn't date yet."
"This is not a date with a stranger, we are not trying to get know each other. We already do. If you want we can include this in the scenario that your father knew him and would approve of me seeing him. It will only be for one night. Now, do I look okay? It has been a long time since I've been out with a man." She stands up and is wearing her hair in a chignon, a black silk duponi dress cut fairly low, a strand of pearls and pearl button earrings.
"You look lovely." She had been helping her put on a night time style of moderate heavy makeup. Momma doesn't normally wear makeup at all. She goes out to the living room and heads into the kitchen to make sure that Aarons bottle is reachable for the Bob to get and that the night time snack, she is having for the children is available. She makes a list for him as what to expect and what he needs to do to make sure that everything is done that needs to be done. For example, reminders that Spencer has a broken arm and that when he goes to bed, he needs to have pull-ups on. Aaron gets a bottle and a change before bed and if there are any problems, how to contact her. She is trying to remember all that needs to be done for Bob when he gets here.
Penelope is getting dressed in her room and Emily is helping her out. When she comes out she is wearing a red sequined dress that accentuates her voluptuousness and beauty. She came downstairs to some very appreciative looks from her 'brothers'. None of the children are happy about having momma and Penelope out for the night. They are actually not too sad about Penelope; they want her to have fun in her role. But with momma going out, that's a whole other situation.
Derek is still worried about her dating so soon after 'daddy's' death, his bad reaction to the man in Chicago still haunts him with reminders of his mother and her first attempts at dating after his father's death. This dredges up bad memories.
Emily doesn't have it quite like that, but she is not really happy about not having the two women there, she feels more comfortable with a woman in this type of situation. She is concerned about who this man is and why it is so important for momma to see him.
Spencer is ambivalent about the women going out, although he would rather momma be there to help him go to bed and do things, he knows that one of his brothers or sisters will help there. But like Emily, he wonders who this man is and why momma wants to see him.
We already know that JJ is not happy that Bob is coming to watch them, but she is not sure how she feels about momma actually doing this. Momma might not call it a date but that is definitely how JJ sees it.
David views this night as a learning experience for how the family copes without having momma there. Although, he also doesn't really think they need a babysitter, but for appearances sake, he is willing to accept it. He will continue to watch out for the little ones and do what he always does, be there to support them if they need it.
Aaron is sitting out on the porch by the toy box, playing with a fisher price garage. He doesn't why he hates the idea of momma going out with that man, but he so angry about it. That is the best word for it, angry; she is not supposed to be going out with men. She was his not anyone else's. Who was this man who was taking away his momma? As for Bob coming to babysit, who cares, but if he tries just once to pick him up, Aaron thinks, I am going to bite him. He is not changing or feeding me, only momma does that.
There he is, Bob, at the door and coming in. Bob sees Aaron and walks over to him, bends down and says, "Well, hi Aaron, I hope we can work well together tonight. I'll see you inside." Aaron smiles innocently at the man bent over him but the man does not try to reach out to pick him up. The smile disappears when Bob turns away and goes into the dining room. Some machinations are going through that head of his, but are they from the man or the baby.
Next to arrive is Penelope's young man, Chad; Derek answers the doorbell and lets him in the dining room, where momma is waiting to meet the young man. Aaron gets up and runs into the dining room to see what happens. Momma asks him a few questions about where he was taking her and when they would be returning. The two young people then leave the house. Aaron goes back out on to the porch to await the man that momma is going on a 'date' with.
A car drives up outside and a man gets out of the car and walks toward the house, he rings the doorbell, which is answered by a boy of about eight. Aaron has run to stand by him.
"Hello, you must be Ross, come in, momma is in the dining room waiting for you."
"Hello, I am Ross and you are?"
"Derek and this is Aaron." Aaron smiles sweetly at the man, while Derek just looks suspicious of him. They go into the dining room.
"Hello Ross, I see you have met two of the children. This is JJ, David, Emily and Spencer, Penelope has gone out on a date. The man there is my brother Bob, who will be watching the children while we go to dinner. Bob, the children have been fed dinner, but they do get a snack later. There is a note on the refrigerator to let you know what to do, particularly with Spencer and Aaron. JJ and David should be big helps and I expect a good report from Bob, when I get home." She turns and she and Ross begin to head out the door.
"NOOOOOO." As two hands reach around her legs and grabs for all their might.
"Aaron? You need to let go of me sweetie. Momma will be back later and we can talk about this then." He looked up at her with tears streaming down his face, "NOOOOO. Don't go mommy."
"Aaron, come on sweet heart, she picks him up and proceeds to attempt to hand him over to Bob, whom he bites the hand of, when he reaches for him. "Aaron! We don't do that that is not nice, you will apologize right now." Aaron stubbornly refuses to open his mouth. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what has gotten into him, and he doesn't normally act this way."
"Doesn't he, he bit once before."
"Bob, I am sorry."
Ross speaks up that maybe they should just take the baby with them, if he is so adamant about not wanting her to go without him.
"Are you sure about that? I don't want it to be a problem."
"It won't be, "he turns to one of the kids, "if you'll get his diaper bag and maybe a bottle or two from the kitchen." The other kids go into high gear; they can't believe that the boss man actually got away with going with momma on her 'date'.
"You need to get the car seat out of my car and put it in yours."
"Or we could just use your car."
"Okay, we'll use my car, but you drive." The kids brought the diaper bag with several extra diapers and some bottles. Ross took the bag and went out with momma following him with Aaron in her arms. In the house, everyone was looking at each conspiratorially.
Bob says, "Well, did I do okay?"
"You did great, Bob; let us go watch a movie." It seems that all of the agents wanted to know who Ross was and why momma felt that she had to see him. They needed to send a spy to find out.