A/N: Hello again, everyone!
Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.
Élise came back into the bedroom, munching on a banana, when she saw Spencer pick his body up and crawl out of bed. He lengthened his limbs when he sat at the edge, gave them a quick shake, and chafed the back of his cute, messy bed hair.
Rubbing his eyes with his hands before scratching his eyelashes, Reid blinked his eyes a few times for his vision to come to him faster. When it became apparent enough, he noticed Élise in head-to-toe activewear and sneakers.
"Did Nike call you to do some kind of campaign for them?" Reid joked.
"Ha-ha," Élise replied sarcastically; she squatted down to tie her shoelace and tossed her banana peel in the trash. I decide to get back and do some beginner sprints. Need to switch up my workout routine every now and then; you get better results."
Reid reminded Élise of her occasional obsession with doing too much exercise and weight. "What have we said about your weight? You're fine just the way you are," he complimented her. "Plus, your BMI is above normal…"
"Oh, I know; I exercise and workout to eat and to look good," Élise snapped with sass, seductively. "I just need some fresh air, and I'm going to take Opal with me."
"I don't want you jogging alone," said a worried Reid.
Élise structured inside her closet and pulled out her box. "I have Marshal Johnson trailing me; I'll be fine. Plus, I have my Ray-Bans," she slipped on her dark sunglasses. "Incognito."
"Oh, so now you're a CIA agent? An international spy?" Reid joked again; he drew Élise closer to him and whispered. "I'll have to arrest you."
Élise chuckled and smooched his lips. "I'm going to grab some water from the fridge before leaving. I should be back in time to carbo-load before work," she patted her belly.
"Careful, Ops!" said Élise, chasing after her while doing some light jogging. "Careful."
Opal stopped at a nearby bench, allowing Élise to catch a breath, jug the last of her bottled water, and toss it in the nearest recycling bin.
"Oh, God…" She had her hands on her knees, panting when Marshal Johnson caught up to her and Opal.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
Élise inhaled deeply and groaned out, "Please," she looked at her phone for the time. "If we make it back, I can take a quick shower, grab a bite, and get ready for work. Thank God I laid out my clothes, so I don't have to worry about…"
Her train of thought stopped when she saw a fit and toned woman in a tank top, leggings, and sneakers grabbing some water at a nearby foundation.
Élise slid her sunglasses down a bit and squinted. With that blonde ponytailed hair, her jaw dropped. "JJ?" she almost slid them up when she saw a dark-skin guy in a dark tracksuit trailing behind her, had a drink, and struck up a conversation…
And walked away together.
"Ho-ho," a mischievous Élise smirked like a movie villain's second-in-command. "Well-well-well. What do we have here?" she couldn't resist an opportunity to capture this moment.
"Here are your breakfast for today," Reid set Séraphine and Isaac's breakfast plates in front of them; for Séraphine, a whole grain waffle and pancake with cut-up fruit and orange juice; and Isaac, overnight berry oats and dry cereal and orange juice.
Séraphine blew a kiss. "Tanks, daddy…"
"Yah…" Isaac cheered.
"Hi, honey!" Spencer could hear Élise walking in. "I'm back home," she entered the kitchen and kissed Spencer before kissing Séraphine and Isaac. "And I need some breakfast while I'm still letting my body cool down a bit."
"I made some breakfast bars," Rose just pulled out a baking pan from the oven and set it on the cooling rack before removing her mitts and cutting a small rectangle. "Made them with almond milk, oatmeal, cinnamon, peanut butter, rolled oats."
Élise got the dog food bag and poured some into Opal's bowl. "I'll take a couple," she lifted her arms and smelled herself. "Yeah, I need a bath."
After breakfast, Élise took a time-effective shower and changed into a white button dress shirt, a navy Loro Piana wool two gold button blazer with matching pants, and slingback heels.
After she finished brushing her hair, she placed her brush back in the vanity mirror drawer; she fluffed it a little bit more when Reid came out of the bathroom. He was clothed in a dark cardigan over a dress shirt, tie, pants, and sneakers.
"You look nice," said Élise, spritzed some hypoallergenic fragrance around her neck.
Reid replied, "And you look happy. What's got you so cheery?"
Élise started giggling like an overexcited schoolgirl who just got asked out by her crush. She dug her phone out of her pants pocket. "This," she showed Spencer the video of JJ and this mystery man.
"Mmm…" Reid examined JJ's body language with the mystery man. "She does look comfortable with him." he faced Élise and had a quizzical look on his face. "You don't think…?"
Élise took her phone back. "I'm gonna have my homeboys check him out."
"Are you turning into Garcia?" Reid jested. "You're going to do some under-the-radar digging on him?"
Élise had her arms out and reasoned, "Why shouldn't I? Since it was known I left you all and came back after a couple of months from the Diane Turner drama, she's been giving me these dirty looks. And she blabbed to Prentiss. Now, suppose Prentiss blabbed to someone else. And then they blabbed to someone else. You know how gossip can be with high-ranking political officials. Everyone would get all these assumptions, and all of a sudden, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TMZ, all of them would want to know every bloody thing about my personal life. And that's no one's business except ours."
Reid nodded. "You have a point there, but I thought the Silent Eliminating Enforcer could handle people's dirty looks," he adjusted his tie. "And she'd give them a dirtier look back."
Élise sneered. "Oh, I do; I just this would be enough for her to back off," she waved her phone.
"Well, you're better than JJ and Garcia," said Reid. "But I don't blame you if you do find out about him."
Reid arrived to work earlier than usual, so he and Blake decided to have a little bit of fun. He got the Washington Post newspaper—one of the few in the metro area not to go completely digital—and his stopwatch.
"6 letters, "between the waves.""
Blake answered, "Slatch."
"Yes," he timed her. "10 letters, "wandering alone.""
Blake closed her eyes for a moment, thinking, "Uh... Latin in origin, alone is "solus, " vagare is "wandering, " 10 letters—" she played with her fingers. "S-O-L-I-V-A-G-A-N-T."
Reid finished. "Congratulations, Blake, you just finished that crossword puzzle in 7 minutes."
Blake beamed to herself. "I mean, you could do it, too."
"I've done it in 5 1/2, actually," Reid bragged. "There's a theory about pattern recognition where you don't even have to look at the clues anymore, but I found that going across instead of down helps because the sequence of saccades and fixations in traditional reading assist with other oculomotor tasks such as solving crossword puzzles," he finished just as Rossi came up to them, carrying his briefcase.
"Happy Wednesday, my nerds," Rossi dryly greeted them.
Reid smirked, taking off his stopwatch as Blake cheerily greeted him. "Hey, you're here early."
"Well, apparently not early enough. I missed all the excitement," Rossi sarcastically replied again and asked, "You do that in pen?"
Blake shrugged. "Is there any other way?" for her and Reid, how can you not do the crossword puzzle in pen? Where would be the fun in that?
Rossi huffed, "Where's Hotch?"
"In there with Garcia," answered Blake; Rossi spun around, and they saw Hotch and Garcia in the conference room through the binds. She soon asked, "Everything okay?"
"We'll see," Rossi walked away, allowing Reid and Blake to have these questioning looks on their faces.
Still doubtful about what was going on, Blake said; her voice tread on mysterious, "10 letters, starts with "C.""
Reid answered, "Cabalistic?"
"Indeed," Blake nodded her head.
"Oi!" Garcia popped her head and called out for Reid and Blake. "Let's do this."
Reid and Blake got their coffee mugs and headed for the conference room; already there were Morgan and JJ.
Their latest case was in Baltimore; an unknown man was found wandering and had a lobotomy. The team discussed the comparisons and possibilities before being introduced to their new section chief by Anderson, Mateo Cruz…
Reid simply waved to him.
He was the man Élise saw JJ with earlier today while she was working out but decided to keep silent and will be joining them on the case.
Élise got off the elevator and onto the fifth floor on her way to her chambers. Once she got there, she set her bags on the mahogany desk and turned on her computer when her work phone pinged.
After another ping, she saw it was a message notification and answered a simple hello.
"Élise?"
Élise opened some files she pulled from her drawers and sat down. She got another message alert, and it was from Spencer. "So, what do you have on?" Élise opened Spencer's message, saying he and the team on heading to Baltimore with their new section chief.
The team got to it while at the Baltimore office; Morgan was at the hospital with the male victim, and Rossi and JJ were at the sight where he was found.
With Prentiss' Interpol help, they managed to find a connection with the lobotomy, a male victim in Berlin, Germany…
And discovered a camera hidden in the victim's eyes.
Still wondering about the motive, the team delivered the profile.
Élise reviewed a bunch of paperwork and files when she felt her phone vibrate under her hand. She picked it up and saw it was a message notification from a colleague. She clicked on the message, and her mouth dropped.
There's a video that's gone viral.
Élise narrowed her eyes a bit and logged onto YouTube. Once she got there, a wave of shock appeared on her face.
"Holy…"
Before anyone knew it, the case was over, but everyone thought it ended on a bittersweet note. While they managed to save the victims, the unsub left a devastating trail and completed the goal of torture.
Reid was at his desk, packing his belongings, and had a conversation with Blake about the case.
"Worst case of sibling rivalry I've ever since," said Reid. "You know, my father wanted more kids, but my mother put her foot down and said no. She was satisfied with just me. Said she didn't want to mess with perfection."
"Well, she was right," Blake chuckled and asked a more serious question, "Will you ever let Séraphine and Isaac go that far for yours and Élise's love?"
Reid answered, "Never; I'd love them just the way they are. But it's a sad truth that there are children who will do anything for their parents' affection, love, and attention, even if they know they'll never get it."
Blake somberly shook her head. "Most definitely."
"So, what's your take on Cruz?" asked Reid.
Blake shrugged. "I know what people say about first impressions, but he seems okay. I'd like to know more about him. From how he said Strauss always spoke highly of us, he already has respect for us."
An agreed Reid bowed his head and noticed JJ walking down the mini steps, tapping away on her cell phone. He subtly questioned JJ as she walked by, "So, what do you think of Cruz?"
"Mmm?"
Reid repeated the question. "What's your take on Cruz?"
JJ motioned her shoulders. "He seems alright."
"Have you ever heard of him before today?" he asked again.
"Yeah, I heard his name," JJ coolly replied. "See you tomorrow," said JJ when Reid and Blake got their bags and made their way to the elevators; Reid turned his head to see JJ standing there, still staring into her phone.
Élise read Séraphine and Isaac The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat book in the living room. "I'll tell you one place we're going to miss," said Brother, folding his map." "What place is that?" asked Sister. "That one," he answered, pointing out the window at the home of old Miz Grizz. It was a spooky twisted old tree house in a thicket at the end of Crooked Lane. "We're definitely not going there," he added with a shiver."
"I wana see spoky house," said Séraphine, raising her hand.
Élise almost laughed. "You wanna see a spooky house?"
"Wy not?" Séraphine shrugged her shoulders.
"Hello!" Reid's voice echoed through the walls. "I'm home!" he popped into the living room, his arms opened.
Séraphine got off the couch and tottered to her father. "Daddy!"
Reid squatted down when he hugged Séraphine. "Hi, pretty! How was your day?" he collapsed on the couch next to Élise, who had Isaac on her lap.
"Gad!" she gave him a thumbs up.
Reid kissed the top of her head and tickled Isaac's cheek, making him giggle.
"I know I love you and Ziggy the same, right, Fifi?"
"Yah…"
Reid added, "And I'll always love you two the same."
Ziggy had his hand in his mouth and nodded his head.
"I think this one agrees." Élise patted his head and kissed it.
"Dinner's ready!" said Rose when she popped her head in.
The family enjoyed pumpkin pasta salad for dinner and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for dinner.
"Come on, little man," said Spencer, whispering in Isaac's ears and laying him on his back. "Time for beddy-bed."
Isaac yawned when he stretched his body.
"Nighty-night, son," Reid kissed his head. "I love you."
He turned off his light when walking backward out of the room just as Élise strolled out of Séraphine's room.
"Out like a light," said Élise, pointing back to Séraphine's room.
Spencer turned his head. "Same with our boy."
"So, how was the case?" asked Élise, taking Spencer by his hand and leading him towards their bedroom.
"Sibling rivalry at its worst," answered Reid. "There was a reason my mother just wanted me."
Élise huffed when she and Spencer got to their bedroom. "So glad my brother and I never had anything like that, mostly because our mother would have snapped some sense into us," she closed the doors and asked, "So how was JJ and…?"
"Our new section chief, Mateo Cruz?" Reid finished the sentence for her. "They were pretty much separated. Figures since if they gave each other a side glance, we'd figured they have some kind of history. Still, you don't think…?"
"JJ's having an affair with him?" Élise sneered and lifted her shoulders. "Mmm…"
"Guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"
Élise winked. "Exactly."
A/N: Next chap will be a special birthday celebration for Dr. Spencer Reid!