A/N: Hello, everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. No copyright infringement intended.

Spencer made sure after swimming in the pool for almost an hour, the children were head-to-toe free from the stench of chlorine and checked their ears to make sure no water went in since, at their age, their ears were more sensitive to infections and swimmer's ear. Rose offered to cook dinner while Spencer, Isaac, Séraphine, and Opal were in the living room.

"What do you wanna watch now?" Spencer asked with the remote controller in his left hand. "Nickelodeon, Disney, or a movie?"

"Movie!" Séraphine and Isaac raised their small hands.

Opal barked for an answer.

"Movie it is…" Spencer flipped through the channels to find the kids' movie channels and checked to see if there were any good and classical ones.

Séraphine gasped. "Mommy!" she pointed to the screen. Spencer clicked back a few channels until she saw a news report on Élise in New York City, and there was footage of her being greeted by the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the state after landing in LaGuardia. "Hi, mommy!"

"Hey, mommy!" Isaac waved.

Spencer never got tired of seeing his children's reactions whenever he and Élise were on television.

Before Élise knew it, the weekend was over, and she confidently liked to think that she had a successful weekend. She got to meet some well-known executives, a couple of events, did some interviews, and did a little bit of exploring with sightseeing every now and then.

Élise settled nicely in her terrace suite with her security detail in the accessible room for them to change and get some rest. Sitting back in the lounge chair, sipping lemon-and lime-flavored sparkling water, Élise loved the nighttime panoramic views of Central Park and the Hudson River. If only Spencer and the children were here with her, enjoying the views.

It was fifteen past nine, figuring the children would be asleep, but Spencer would probably still be awake. Getting up from her seat and wrapping the belt of her pink silk robe, she figured she would give home a call. Closing and locking the slide doors when she entered the bedroom, Élise picked up her phone from the bedside and dialed Spencer's home, holding the phone to her ear and waiting for him to answer.

"Hello?"

Élise smiled lightly. "Hey, babe…"

Spencer asked, "How's nighttime in New York City?"

"Makes you want to stay up and watch the nighttime until sunrise," Élise had her arms crossed and looked outside the terrace window. "I get why it's sometimes called "The City that Never Sleeps" or "Gotham." The Big Apple…" she shrugged her shoulders. "It's big, alright, and it makes you want to take a big bite out of it."

"Actually, did you know that 'The Big Apple" was first used in a horseracing column called "Around the Big Apple," but it wasn't until a 1970s tourism campaign used it to describe the city?"

Élise chuckled. "I love your brains."

Élise sat up straight in her window back seat on the Gulfstream. Most of her security detail also sat on different ends of the plane. She simultaneously minded her own business, looked out the white semi-cloudy sky, and tapped on her phone, looking at her schedule for the week. From the yotcosecond she'll get off the plane in D.C. and her work schedule for the next few weeks. She was going to be a busy bee, to say the least.

She strolled her thumb to the messages app on her phone and decided to rewatch the video messages from Spencer over the weekend. Rummaging through her large canvas tote bag, she kept to the window side; she found her headphones, slipped them on, and played the video she got from him, instantly chuckling to herself, watching Spencer play with the children and getting licked by Opal.

"Excuse me, ma'am…?" Élise flinched a bit in her seat and got slightly spooked by the stoutly average-height flight attendant. She shielded her phone screen when she said, "We're about to land at Reagan soon."

Élise nodded her head in response.

"Mommy!" the children hopped off the house and scampered when they saw Élise standing by the living room arch. "You're home!"

Opal paced and joined in, cuddling Élise's leg.

Spencer was the last to rose from the couch and join in on the hug. "So glad you're home…"

"I'm always happy to be home," Élise kissed his lips. "I got some pictures and souvenirs for you all."

"Maeve, I'm telling you, all these opportunities and invitations," Élise said into her Samsung phone while unpacking her luggage, throwing the clothes she wore into the hamper. "I mean, when I began AG, I didn't think this would be happening, but it is…" Élise could barely put it in words.

"It still seems like yesterday you were being confirmed," Maeve chuckled. "I mean, you're doing a great job and moving up and traveling."

"Well, yeah," Élise added. "I mean, I just came back from New York City, and I'll be going to Iceland next week…"

"That's why technology's gotten better with long-distance communication," Maeve added. "It'll be like you're still with the family."

"True," Élise agreed. "So…you wanna hear how my trip to the Big Apple was?"

"Ooh, how was it?" Maeve's itching to know. "You got to meet some interesting people?"

"Oh, indeed, I did," said Élise. She decided to take a break from unpacking and sat in the center of the bed. "I met the mayor and his family, the Police Commissioner, the Governor, and his Lieutenant. I even did some interviews with Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, and Teen Vogue."

Maeve cheered. "You go, girl. Who knows? Maybe you'll be on the cover like Hilary Clinton. Class it up after this month's cover…"

"Oh, Lord…" Élise massaged her temples. "And you'll never know who I saw?"

Maeve asked, "Who?"

"Belinda Sinclair, Shania Davis, Calista Tan, and Luna Reyes: all members of the Fab Four from the charity event at Harold and Patricia's place," Élise answered. "I saw them at all the magazine interviews."

Maeve chuckled. "The Fab Four. Sound like a mean girl clique."

"I had a quick chat with them and..." she sighed, already drained just mentioning them before forcing herself to think positively again. "They asked if they were going to the baby shower at Kevin and Cassandra's place on Saturday."

"They're going to be there, aren't they?"

Élise sighed. "Oh, yeah."

"Daddy…?"

Spencer focused on finishing up a book volume his mother would read to him as a child. "Mmm…?"

"Whatcha doin'?" Séraphine used her spoon to tap on the book he was reading. It had a man with a fancy-looking French mustache on the cover of the book.

"I'm reading In Search of Lost Time," Spencer explained while using his finger to read out the title. "The author of the book is Marcel Proust, whose also on the cover."

Isaac giggled. "He got a funny beard."

"I wanna learn how to read…" Séraphine pouted.

Spencer caressed her cheek. "Maybe when I get back to work, I can help you learn how to read."

"Good morning again, loved ones." Élise sashayed with class into the kitchen. Her black kitten heels made a click-clunk sound against the recently polished tiled flooring. She had her black leather portfolio in her hands and picked up a croissant that was in a half-a-dozen pastry box Rose picked up from the local bakery and had a bite.

"I love me some carbs in the morning." Élise licked her mouth, and Rose gave her a coffee mug and took a gulp.

"Anything big happening today?" Spencer asked.

"A few meetings, yeah," Élise answered after finishing her croissant. "Hopefully, it'll be done tomorrow, and maybe we can make Kevin and Cassandra's baby shower on Saturday."

Spencer looked down at his silver watch, and it was time for him to go off to work. He wiped his mouth, picked up his plate and glass, and kissed the kids' heads. He put his plate and drink in the sink—Rose offered to clean up—and kissed Élise's lips. "Love you."

"Love you, too…"

Now the team's back in the Golden State for a case involving murdered victims with a piece of twine on them as part of the M.O.

"Kids…!" Élise cried out into the hallway before opening the door to the upstairs playroom, finding the children in separate corners of the room; Isaac played with a bunch of blocks while Séraphine was at her pink and purple activity table. "So, how are you two doing?"

Isaac was focused on his blocks. "Good…"

"Whatcha stackin'?" Élise crouched down.

"Just sackin'…" Isaac shrugged his shoulders.

Élise stroked his head and gave him a kiss on top. She stood up again and saw what Séraphine was up to. "And you…?" she looked over her shoulders and saw her playing with her flash cards.

"Tryin' to learn how to read…"

"Oh, yeah," Élise folded her arms. "Daddy told me you wanted to learn how to read this morning."

Séraphine shook her head. "Mmm-hmm…"

Élise pointed to a card that had a picture of a cat. "What does that word say?"

Séraphine tried to pronounce the word. "Cahat…cahat…cat!"

Élise raised her fists. "Yeah," she picked another card, which was a black hat. "And this one?"

"Haata…hat!"

Élise clapped her hands. "You really do have your daddy's brains."

Spencer heard what Rossi had to go through with the latest victim, so he decided to have a talk with him.

"Hey," he caught up to Rossi. "You okay?"

Rossi seemed unfazed by hearing the victim being killed by the unsub. "It's not my first rodeo, Spencer, but that doesn't mean it doesn't get any easier."

"If you need anything…" Spencer shrugged his shoulders. "Don't be afraid to ask."

"I won't. Now, let's catch this son of a bitch." Rossi patted his shoulders and veered in the opposite direction while Spencer met up with Morgan in one of the conference rooms in the geographic hunting zone. Realizing what the unsub was doing with the victims, the team delivered the profile.

"I saw you give the DOJ speech on the website while I was on my break, and you were great." Maeve praised Élise.

Élise smirked to herself. "Thanks. And tomorrow morning, I have to meet up with Secretary Davies from the Department of Education and have a whole bunch I have to do before I leave for Iceland next week." Now Élise had her free hand on her temple. "I think I'm going to need a head massage soon."

"At least the week's almost over, and we can go to the baby shower." Maeve reminded her.

"Oh, yeah," Élise felt a little better. "What do you know about Kevin and Cassandra? I mean, I know they have two boys, seven and three."

"And they were born in the UK," Maeve added. "And I also read that Kevin descends from Nigerian royal roots."

"I read that, too. And…isn't Cassandra also from nobility on both sides of her family?"

Maeve answered, "Yeah; her father was a British nobleman and diplomat, and her mother was a French noblewoman and heiress."

"So, she's a Queen in her own right," Élise joked, making Maeve giggle.

After learning that the unsub chose his victims at a local coffee shop at the same time, Morgan and Spencer went to the camera room, and three of the department's best were still nowhere close to finding out another victim.

At that point, Spencer decided to take matters into his own hands. "Detective, can you make the surveillance video go any faster?" he asked Detective Tavez.

Tavez answered, "It'll go any speed you want."

"Go back to the beginning," said Spencer sitting down. "I need to watch all five weeks in the video."

"But that's—"

Spencer estimated the time length. "525 hours."

"Yeah, we don't have time for that." Tavez was doubtful that would even be possible.

A quietly amused Morgan folded his arms. "Reid, tell him what you did this morning for breakfast."

"I read "War and Peace." Reread it actually, this time in original Russian."

Morgan assured. "Trust me, detective, there's enough time."

Using the same process whenever he had to speedread, Spencer was able to pinpoint the victim while finding out who the unsub was.

While helping Rose fix dinner, Élise twiddled around on her tablet sitting on the stand in the corner of the kitchen countertop. "Hey, Rose, did you know that Icelanders believe in elves and trolls?"

"Really?" Rose asked, chopping the vegetables to the salad on the block. "I did not know that. And Zep and I went to Iceland once, and we saw the Northern Lights, and it was like seeing a kaleidoscope of swirly colors in the sky."

"Mmm…" Élise saw another fact; she kept an eye on the pot with the linguine pasta. "Oh! And it was reported that the country's had no violent crimes; even the local police don't carry guns and the only NATO country with no military."

Rose finished the salad. "At least you won't have to worry about anything; it's the world's most peaceful country."

Another bittersweet case: the unsub surrendered without protest but knew he wouldn't live long enough to answer for his crimes.

Driving to Kevin and Cassandra's place after successfully passing through the guarded and forged iron-gated entrance, Spencer and Élise—behind them were Bobby and Maeve—could barely stop at the meticulous but absolutely gorgeous gardens, hedges, and tall specimen tree-lined road.

Arriving at the crazy expansive circular motor court, both families managed to get good parking and climbed out of their vehicles. Élise couldn't believe the cars that were there; Spencer quickly estimated at fifteen, not including their vehicle and Maeve and Bobby's and the parking garage that could find five other cars, obviously for the homeowners.

The stunning brick and elegant cast stone estate reminded Élise of European architecture—though it looked like it had mostly English and French elements—mixed with modern complementary, along with the steep rooflines and gables. Élise swore she saw a three-tier crystal chandelier through the window.

Both families and their children walked the flagstone steps and portico—set in wrought iron balusters, and Élise knocked on the remarkable custom arched entry doors with equally remarkable frosted glass and antique bronze iron filigree inspiring detailing. Soon, a middle-aged brunette woman in her late forties was wearing a gray skirt suit with a black portfolio close to her chest and her iPhone in the other.

"Ah," the women greeted everyone. "You must be the Bastien-Reid and Donovan-Putnam families."

"Indeed, we are."

"Come on in, please," the woman allowed them in. "And I'm Ms. Wanda Ellington, majordomo."

"Thank you."

The families came in, and they followed Ms. Ellington to where the baby shower was being held. The house interior itself leveled to the exterior, regal and elegant but still warm and inviting. The two-storied foyer had this spectacular plaster ceiling dome, exquisite crown molding, baseboards, woodwork, and detailing, a curved double staircase, refining flooring, and other splendid features.

When they got to the living room, a bunch of adults was either standing around, enjoying some of the food or sitting on the antique furniture and two tables set up—one that had tasty and pretty-looking pastries and snacks and the other for beverages.

One of the hostesses, a man of umber complexion, noticed the families. "Hello."

The second hostess of the party, Cassandra, waved to them. "Hello there…ugh…" she spoke in a blended accent and tried getting up but thought it'd be best to sit down instead. Her skin radiated, her long bronde hair—half-blonde-half-brunette was away from her angular face, and she wore this beautifully draped silk watercolor violet, yellow, ivory, and pink printed dress and flats.

Kevin came to her aid. "Careful, Cassie…"

Cassandra chuckled. "This is not my first cirque, Kev…"

"And it is the first you're pregnant with twins." Kevin added and asked, "Hey, uh…do Séraphine, Isaac, BJ, and Charlotte want to be with the other children in the playroom?"

The parents asked their children, "Do you want to be with the other children?"

"Yah, pease…" said the four children.

Ms. Ellington offered to take the children for them and escorted them out of the room; Bobby offered to go with them.

Élise helped herself to a couple of petit fours before giving the couple their gift. "Spencer and my gift to you."

Cassandra took out the tissue paper and saw one of the two gifts. "Oh, Madeline dolls!" she passed the bag to Kevin, who pulled out the other gift. "So cute..."

"Oh, Bino and Fino dolls!" Kevin smiled and looked at Spencer and Élise. "Thank you very much."

"Who's Bino and Fino?" one of the guests asked, sipping champagne.

Spencer explained, "Bino and Fino is an educational show featuring a brother and sister and Zeena, the Butterfly, and they learn about African history and culture. I managed to watch some with Séraphine and Isaac the other day. It's been translated into various languages, and I watched the ones in English, German, French, and Yoruba."

Kevin scratched his neck. "You speak Yoruba?"

"I can get Yoruba." Spencer shrugged his shoulders.

Kevin wanted to see for himself. "Se beni ni?"[1]

"Bẹẹni, o jẹ, nitorinaa."[2] Spencer replied back.

Kevin lifted an eyebrow. "Mo ti wú mi." [3]

Spencer nodded his head once. "E dupe." [4]

Kevin's dark eyes widened a bit. "Now you're scaring me."

Spencer smirked. "Mo gba iyẹn nigbagbogbo." [5]

"Okay, now you're just showing off."

Everyone laughed until they heard even haughtier laughter getting closer. Belinda, Shania, Calista, and Luna strolled in with their spouses behind them, side-to-side, with their arms tangled and broken apart once they got to the room; the men spread around the room.

"Hello, everyone." Belinda waved and flashed her obviously laser-white smile to everyone as if she was completing in Miss. World or Miss. Universe.

"Sorry we're late." Shania fluffed and flipped her black chin-length hair, now holding her clutch with both hands again. "Beauty and fashion emergency."

Calista added, daintily picking up a French pastry. "You can never put a price on beauty and fashion; it's an investment."

Luna breathed. She took a seat next to her husband on one of the couches, tucked one leg behind the other, and helped herself to a champagne fluke one of the staff offered. "Love-love-love your outfit, Cas."

Cassandra caressed her very pregnant belly. "Why, thank you."

"It's fabulous! Ooh!" the four women praised together and gave each other a cheek look.

Maeve plastered a polite smile on her face and whispered to Élise, "Something tells me we're gonna have to get used to hearing that on a regular basis."

"Aren't we all?" Élise replied back, sipping some sparkling water.

[1] Yoruba: Is that so?

[2] Yoruba: Yes, it is so.

[3] Yoruba: I'm impressed.

[4] Yoruba: Thank you.

[5] Yoruba: I get that quite often.