Present Day
Hotch realized that the first skater's music had concluded and that she had hit her final pose. He applauded politely and then watched patiently while she bowed, collected her flowers and stuffed animals, and then headed off the ice to wait for her scores. As everyone waited, Hotch thought back to his and Jack's first adventure on the ice -
Fifteen Years Ago
The public skating session that morning was a lot of fun for both him and Jack and, by the time they were ready to quit, they could both do some basic stroking and two footed turns as well as snowplow stops.
"Getting going is great," Laurel told them with a smile. "But you really need to know how to stop before you run into something – or someone."
"And," she continued. "This is also the way you stop when you are on snow skis."
"Snow skis?" Hotch questioned with a grimace. "Are we planning on going skiing now?"
"Only if you want to," Laurel replied cheerily. "Far be it for me to tell a big, strong, FBI guy what he should do."
"I'm not feeling all that impressive right now," Hotch admitted as he carefully made his way off the ice and onto the lowest row of the bleachers.
"Oh, Dad!" Jack exclaimed as he followed his father off the ice.
"Lunch," Hotch was looking hard for a diversion. "I think it is time for lunch."
He looked over at Paige. "What would you like?" he asked kindly.
Paige shrugged and looked over at her mom.
"That's okay," Laurel assured her. "You haven't had mac and cheese for a while, have you?" she suggested. "Or, tuna fish. What about one of those?"
"Mac and cheese," Jack sang out. "We want mac and cheese!"
"Okay, mac and cheese it is," Hotch agreed.
"And I know just the place," Laurel assured him.
The remainder of the weekend visit went by quickly. And, as Hotch and Jack left to catch their flight back to Quantico, promises were made concerning a repeat visit. However, despite the fact that Jack periodically asked if they could 'Go visit Paige, because she is pretty and she can ice skate', it was over four years before –