Hotch and Morgan arrived in Tallinn early the next day. "Daddy – You're here!" Paige flew into his arms the minute he walked into their hotel suite.
"Hello, Father!" Jack was trying hard to act like an adult. After all, he (along with Rossi and Reid) had been entrusted to watch over the women on their trip across the Atlantic.
"Hey Buddy!" Hotch greeted his son.
"Hello Dear," Laurel greeted him with a kiss and a hug.
"What's wrong?" she asked when she saw the look in his eyes.
"Later," he told her shortly. "First, I need to get cleaned up, then I need to get some breakfast, and then I need to talk with Reid."
"Okay," Laurel smiled at him. "Jack, why don't you take your father's suitcase and put it in the 'Boy's Room'? And, Paige, why don't you get on the phone in the 'Girl's Room' and call room service? You can order your father the same breakfast you had this morning."
"Spencer's leaving the team, isn't he?" she asked quietly once the two kids were out of the room.
"Yes," Hotch confirmed. "His paperwork just came through and I need to go over it with him."
"Well, I can't say I blame him," Laurel said thoughtfully. "With two small children he naturally wants to be home more. And, when I think of all the job offers he gets – "
"He'll be staying with The Bureau for now," Hotch quickly told her. "He'll be lecturing at The Academy as well as updating and rewriting a lot of the manuals and handbooks we use. Thankfully, he will still be available for consults."
"He's also working with Rossi on his next book," Laurel contributed. "So, I suspect we will still be seeing a lot of our favorite genius."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"Michelle Decker wanted to talk with me," Ian reported that evening. The Ladies Short Program part of the competition had concluded several hours earlier and, while Paige had ended up in twelfth place, Hannah had placed considerably lower.
"About anything in particular?" Laurel asked curiously. Ian had made a special trip to the Hotchner's hotel suite to speak with them.
"She wants me to coach Hannah for the rest of the competition," Ian reported. "It seems that she has fired Don Wong."
"Fired her daughter's coach – In the middle of a competition?" Rossi asked incredulously. He had stopped by the suite to see if Jack wanted to join him for a walkabout.
"So it seems," Ian replied. "Apparently she blames him for Hannah's poor performance this afternoon. She's still harping about Hannah's practice ice schedule and blames him for not getting it changed to her specifications."
"So, her daughter is now in the middle of a major competition without a coach," Hotch summarized the situation. "What did you tell her?" He was giving Ian his patented 'Profiler's Glare'.
"I told her that I was here for Paige and only for Paige," Ian reported. "And, then, she offered me a lot of money. When I still said 'No', she said some – not very nice things," he looked over to where Paige was sitting, listening. "And then she went charging off to find Joyce Takata."
"How is Don doing?" Laurel asked. "Or have you seen him?"
"When I saw him a few minutes ago, he was at the front desk trying to get some help with changing his plane reservation for the flight back to California," Ian reported. "However, it appears that the change fee is more than he can afford."
"I would assume his room is paid for through the end of the competition?" Rossi asked.
"Yes," Ian told him. "However, he really wants to get out of here ASAP. He is going to have to do some serious damage control with his other students and their parents."
"Find out how much it is to change his reservation," Laurel instructed. "And also find out if he has enough money to pay for meals and whatever else he is going to need before he leaves. I'll cover it."
"You'd do something like that?" Ian asked in surprise.
"Don doesn't deserve to be treated like that," Laurel replied. "He did nothing wrong and to leave him stranded in a foreign country is just not right. Let me help him."
"Everyone has a bad day sometimes," Hotch added. "And to blame him because Hannah had one isn't fair. Check with him and see what we can do to help."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"Don says 'Thank You – Thank You – Thank You!' – And he'll repay you just as soon as he gets back home," Ian reported an hour later. "Thanks to you, he is now on his way to the airport to catch his flight. He also said to tell you that anytime you are in California, just give him a call and he'll be available to help you with anything you need – Anything!"
"Tell him it was our pleasure," Laurel replied with a smile.