Later that afternoon, Christine and Reid were out on the deck. Christine had finished making some recordings for Reid and the twins, and now she and Reid were attempting to decipher the instructions for Rossi's new, state-of-the-art gas grill. Suddenly, they heard a noise coming from inside the house.
Instinctively, Reid pushed Christine off to the side and crouched down behind the grill, trying to could get a better view through the door. Inwardly, he swore because he didn't have his weapon handy. As they waited, they heard another sound. It appeared that someone in the house was whistling cheerfully.
"Hello! Is anybody here?" Rossi called out.
"Dave!" Christine stood up and ran towards the house to greet him. "You're home early!"
"Yeah! I got tired of schmoozing the buyers for the chain bookstores," he reported ruefully as he walked out onto the deck. "I must prefer talking with the owners of small, independent stores. They are so much more interesting."
"Well, I'm glad you're here!" Christine told him. "I really missed you." As she hugged him, he unconsciously pulled her closer and rested his chin on top of her head.
"I missed you too, Kiddo."
"Dave, glad to see you back," Reid smiled across the deck at the senior agent. "I seem to need some help with this."
"A PhD in Engineering, and I have to help you figure out a home grill?" Rossi teased. "Actually, this is my newest toy, so I'm not really sure how it works myself." He walked over and began reading the instruction booklet over Reid's shoulder.
As Christine stood watching the two agents, a small stampede began building in the house and then burst out onto the deck.
"Daddy – Daddy," two tornados, closely followed by Morgan and Garcia, sped over to Reid. "Here you are!"
"You won't believe everything we did!" the male tornado cheered.
"We went to the aquarium and played football and everything," his female counterpart added.
Reid squatted down to the twins' level and they shared a group hug. "I'm really glad to see you," he told them. "I missed you guys!"
"We missed you too, Daddy," they squealed in unison.
Reid looked up at Christine and hesitated before saying, "Guys, there is someone I would like you to meet."
Christine walked over and carefully squatted down to face the group. "Hello, I'm Christine. I'm a friend of your Uncle Dave's," she told them.
"You must be David," Christine continued, looking over at the male child. She blinked and caught her breath as she found herself looking into a duplicate pair own hazel eyes.
"And, you must be Diana." Christine turned to the other child and, again, found her own eyes staring back at her.
"We know who you are because Aunt Penelope told us we have to be careful around you," Diana told her authoritatively. "You're having two babies at the same time. Just like us."
"Well, I don't know if they are going to be just like you two," Christine responded. "But, I am going to have two babies who have the same birthday, like you and your brother."
"Aunt Penelope told us she's making each of us a cake next year," David informed her.
"What flavors are you going to have?" Christine inquired.
"Well, Diana wants red velvet and I am going to have yellow with strawberries," David announced.
Christine again caught her breath, and then looked over at Reid. "Strawberries?" she asked.
"It's his favorite flavor," Reid confirmed.
"They are full of Vitamin C," David told her authoritatively. "Although, the chocolate in Diana's cake does encourage the production of endorphins."
Christine closed her eyes for a minute as she took yet another deep breath, and then began to stand up. When she stumbled slightly, Morgan moved quickly to catch her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "It seems my center of gravity is shifting these days."
"You need to sit down," he observed. "Let me take you into the house."
"Maybe that is a good idea."
Waving off assistance from both Rossi and Reid, Morgan escorted Christine into the sunroom. After making sure she was comfortably seated on the wicker sofa, he sat down in the chair next to her.
"You're shaking." He picked up her hand to calm her.
"I'll be okay," Christine assured him. "I just need to sit quietly for a minute."
"You have had quite a shock," Morgan commented. "Strawberries?"
"Yeah," she replied ruefully. "Not only are they my absolutely most favorite food, but that last night, when I made dinner for Spencer, we were eating fresh strawberries. It was just too much of a coincidence."
"You know, the first time I saw their eyes, I knew they were yours," Morgan smiled at her.
"And, the first time they opened their mouths –" Christine began.
"I knew they were Reid's," Morgan finished as they shared a laugh.
"Then, it isn't just my proud mother's imagination?" Christine asked. "Their vocabularies are definitely advanced for their age?"
"According to Penelope, yes," Morgan replied. He looked at her seriously. "When are you going to tell them?"
"I don't know," Christine confessed. "I suspect sooner is better than later, but I'm not sure I want them to know. Right now it's just them and Spencer, and I don't want to interfere with their family unit."
"They are going to have to find out sometime, and it's probably better coming from you," Morgan pointed out.
"Yes, that's something I need to discuss with Spencer," Christine agreed. "If we do tell them, we need to do it together."
She then fixed Morgan with a stern look and asked, "And, what about you, Derek? When are you going to make an honest woman of her?"
"Me? Who?" Morgan sounded surprised.
"Penelope, of course, you idiot! She's crazy about you, always has been. And I know that when you think about it, you'll have to admit you feel the same way about her," Christine scolded.
"She is? You really think so?" Morgan sounded doubtful.
"Derek, the first time I met you, it was like you had 'Taken' tattooed across your forehead," Christine told him seriously. "And, then, when I met Penelope, I knew who it was. What I also know is that you had better grab her before someone else does. I understand you have already had several close calls. Do you want to risk losing her for good?"
"You're saying I should ask her to marry me right now?"
"Not right this minute," Christine clarified. "But, I would suggest you do it soon. A lady can only be patient for so long, and I think that one has just about reached her limit."
As Derek considered Christine's suggestion, Garcia rushed into the room. "Someone had better get out there before Reid and Rossi totally destroy that grill and/or set fire to the deck!" she warned. "I don't think either of them knows what they are doing."
"That's my cue," Morgan stood up and then looked down at Christine. "What about you?"
"Don't worry, My Main Man," Garcia assured him. "I'm on the job here."
After the women had watched Morgan head back outside, Garcia looked over at Christine. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
"I'm fine – I just got a little overwhelmed," Christine assured her as she slowly stood up. "Now, let's get our part of this meal underway - Everything we need is in the kitchen ready to go."
Morgan took over the grill while Rossi and Reid took the twins out onto the lawn to play, and Christine and Garcia arranged plates and food on tables in the sunroom.
"I never knew Dave had this small table in here for the kids," Christine commented as she looked around.
"Well, he does believe in being a good host," Garcia reminded her. "And, before you moved in, the twins used to visit him all the time."
"Well, I will have to make sure that we see more of them in the future," Christine was trying not to hear the comment as criticism.
Garcia rounded and looked at Christine. "Well, what do you think?" she demanded.
"I think," Christine responded carefully. "That Spencer has been very lucky that he has had some good people helping him with David and Diana."
Her face suddenly crumbled. "Penelope," she wailed. "What if they don't like me? I mean, I don't expect them to love me in the same way they love Spencer, and you, and Morgan, and Dave. But, what if they don't like me?"
Garcia instinctively put her arms around the distraught Christine. "They're kids," she reminded her. "They'll be curious about you at first because you are a new addition to their world. But, given time, they'll accept you and then, eventually, they'll like you. It's just going to take time."
"By the way," she pulled back to look Christine in the face. "You do know that Eleanor DuValle has been trying to set my favorite genius up with Phillipa Bigalow, as well as with any one of several of her female relatives, don't you"?"
"I like Phillipa," Christine told her thoughtfully. "She is an intelligent woman who can carry on a decent conversation. And, I understand she has gone back to school and is getting her law degree. Does she get along with the twins?"
"From what I have seen, yes," Garcia told her. "Don't tell me you aren't worried?"
"Penelope, after the way I messed up, I realize that I may no longer be the best person for Spencer or for the twins," Christine confessed sadly. "I really just want him and the kids to be happy!"
"Okay, just so you know!"
When Morgan finished grilling the hamburgers, everyone gathered in the sunroom to enjoy the meal. As they ate, Reid told about the close encounter with the TV station, while Christine assured everyone that Eleanor was handling the situation. Rossi then recounted several entertaining stories about his readings and book signings, while the twins wanted to tell everyone about their exciting weekend with Uncle Derek and Aunt Penelope.
Early evening found the twins safely belted into their car seats with Morgan driving as they pulled out of the driveway.