A/N: Hello again, everyone! Sorry if I've been slow lately with this chapter as well as the previous chapters. Writer's block sucks—I've said this before, and I'm totally not afraid to repeat it. Plus, my life offscreen can be a lot. Again, I'm still taking one day at a time, hoping—and praying—for the better of things as time passes.

This Saturday marks the second anniversary of my paternal grandmother's passing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. The story starts off the week of November 2nd.

Spencer fumbled around with getting a proper knot in his navy tie while refilling Opal's breakfast bowl when Élise stroked into the kitchen, simultaneously eyeing both her work and personal phone.

"Morning, fam…" she took a quick moment away from her phones to give a kiss to her loving children and husband and huffed exasperated. "Oh, this is gonna be a hectic month. We had Thanksgiving this morning. In addition to that parent meeting, the International Dinner, and the 18th Annual Frederick Douglass Awards Dinner next week…BTW, I'm going to need a new outfit, shoes, have my hair done, the usual works."

"Well, there's something else we need to focus on this week alone." Spencer refilled Isaac's second helping of orange juice. When Élise relooked at her calendar, she gasped and had a smile on her face.

"Parent-teacher conference…" the loving couple snapped their fingers.

Séraphine finished her spoonful of Honey Nut Cheerios dipped in almond milk and asked, "What's that?"

Spencer explained while handing her a white napkin to wipe off any milk residue on her mouth. "It's a short meeting we have with your teachers and talk about your time in class…"

"Mmm…"

Élise locked her index finger around one of Séraphine's curls. "How about this: if we hear you've been a good and well-behaved girl, how about we all go see Big Hero 6 coming out this week?"

The children cheered. "Yay…"

Most of the team finished up last-minute paperwork from the John David Bidwell case—Hotch was done with his part and was current at a meeting with Cruz—when Spencer asked, "So…JJ and Kate…what are parent-teacher conferences like?"

"Ooh!" Kate giggled. "You and Élise are going to your first one?"

"Mmm-hmm…" Spencer figured he would get all the advice he could from the two women and later Hotchner when he got back from his meeting. "What happens during one?"

Kate casually shrugged her shoulders while twirling with her black pen. "It's pretty straightforward…the teacher tells the parent how the kid is during the school year. It's okay to ask questions and see if there are any problems."

"As long as your child's been good, you honestly have nothing to worry about," JJ included while agreeing with Kate. "Plus, it's always good to follow up with the teacher and communicate on a regular basis."

Spencer lopsidedly smiled as a token of the ladies' advice.

Finally, after about ten minutes and six seconds, Spencer watched Hotch go into his office and figured he'd give his boss some time before he walked in.

"Well, you shouldn't be nervous," said Hotch. His posture was always stoic, head up and shoulders back with his fingers intertwined.

"Believe me, I'm not," Spencer crossed one leg over the other. "I just thought I'd get some advice before Élise and I go to our first one on Wednesday."

Hotch released a half-chuckle. "Look, as long as Séraphine's been good and there haven't been any problems, then you have nothing to worry about."

Spencer cocked his head and lifted his shoulders. "Never hurt to ask."

Hotch opened a file. "Think the teacher will ask for both your and Élise's permission to have Séraphine tested?"

"Because she obviously inherited my brains?"

Hotch smirked.

Élise strode back into the main bedroom after coming out of the bathroom, still in her black cable-knit cashmere sweater, brown tailored tweed skirt suit, stockings, and heels she wore to work.

Spencer was already in a blue mini-plaid-printed dress shirt with a dark gray cardigan sweater, pants, and Converse sneakers. "You're not nervous, are you?" He asked Élise.

Élise began holding her leather chestnut brown drawstring tote bag by her elbow. "What makes you say that?"

Spencer pointed at her hands; Élise used her right hand to squeeze her left hand, which would only happen when she was nervous. She realized what she was doing and stopped herself, rummaged through her bag for some breath mints, and helped herself to one.

"I haven't been to a parent-teacher conference since I was in school," Élise had another peppermint gum. "And I was scared to go with my parents then."

"From what I've been reading about them and what Hotch, JJ, and Kate told me about them, they're usually between 10-30 minutes, and it's okay to ask them questions, and if anything, the teacher will tell us."

Élise bobbed her head to the side, agreeing with him.

And just like that, Spencer and Élise were right on early, if not a little bit earlier, for their appointment with Ms. Ortiz. She was nicely clad in a short-sleeve fit-and-flare brown-orange-purple leaf dress with a purple lightweight cardigan sweater and brown kitten heels and politely greeted Spencer and Élise after she had her time with a parental couple before them.

Ms. Ortiz offered some refreshments to them as she began the conference at the adult-sized table.

"It's no secret that Séraphine enjoys school…"

Spencer bragged blushingly. "She gets it from me."

Élise couldn't help but let out a snicker. "It's true, she does. When I was in school, I wasn't exactly a big school lover, especially during my middle and high school years, but as I went on to college, I loved it."

"She's always eager to answer any question Ms. Torres and I ask in class, more so than some of our other students; she loves all the subjects that are being taught, especially reading. Séraphine has said that you two read to her and her brother every night when you're both home."

Élise spoke up again. "Since we both have our busy work schedules, we try to spend as much time with her and our little Ziggy as much as possible."

"We just finished Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden and A Little Princess and began The Chronicles of Narnia with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," said Spencer. "Élise and I began reading to Séraphine even since we were pregnant with her. I suggested it, knowing we promote her brain activity, early literacy, listening, memory, vocabulary skills, communication and language development, and an introduction to numbers, letters, colors, and shapes."

"Are you sure you didn't go to medical school to study pediatrics and psychiatry?" Ms. Ortiz cracked a joke, making the three lightly laugh.

"Maybe one of these days; I'm always asked if I've gone to medical school, and I do have a BA in Psychology." Spencer could think back to all the times he's been asked about medical school. Anything was possible with his abilities.

"But knowing him, he'd finish within a year," Élise lightly punched his upper arm with her elbow and cracked a smile again.

Ms. Ortiz ran her finger through her documents and papers in the Manila file folder that had Séraphine's name on the top tab. She soon asked, "Have you ever considered having Séraphine tested?"

Élise's eyes popped. "Oh…"

"For IQ testing," Ms. Ortiz clarified. "She's an exceptionally bright child with the potential to skip grades."

Spencer raised his hand again. "I skipped grades and ended up graduating high school at twelve. And hey, look where I am now." He ended the sentence with a proud smile on his face.

"Exactly," Ms. Ortiz nodded in agreement. "So, give it some thought. Maybe you talk about it with Séraphine, and if you want to, you can give me another call, follow-up, and see where to take it from there."

Spencer quickly replied, "Okay."

Ms. Ortiz clapped her hands and stared down at her gold-tone round watch with a brown leather strap. "Ooh! I'm afraid that's all the time we have now."

All three adults rose up and shook hands.

Élise flung some of her hair behind her ear. "I guess that wasn't too bad."

"No, it was not," Spencer agreed as he felt his phone buzz in his pants pocket, and he immediately answered it after he dug it out. "Hello…?"

"Hey, uh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything…"

"No…Élise and I just finished a parent-teacher conference."

Garcia gasped. "Aww. Knowing you, it must have gone great. But I'm sure you'll tell me about it later because we have an out-of-state case."

Spencer sighed. "Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up, and before Spencer could say anything, Élise already had her lips puckered out.

Spencer kissed back.

During the four-and-a-half-hour flight to Missoula, Montana, the team began contributing with local police about the case when a victim—now two victims—and worked to find a connection.

Community and classroom helpers were the social studies lesson for today's class. Ms. Ortiz and Ms. Torres finished setting up removable stickers on the whiteboard.

"Okay, clase," Ms. Torres cupped her hands together and faced the students. "What do you see behind Ms. Ortiz and I?"

About more than half a dozen students, including Séraphine, raised their hands; Ms. Ortiz picked the latter. "Séraphine?"

"Important people who work service jobs to keep us safe, healthy, fed, and educated."

Ms. Ortiz smiled and snapped her fingers. "¡Sí, Séraphine! Anyone want to give examples of these community helpers?"

A young girl with dark braided hair was picked. "The school nurse?"

"Yes, Paloma!" Ms. Torres called on a young boy with long blond hair. "Tyson?"

"Uh…doctors, like my Mommy and Daddy?" Tyson answered intimacy.

"Absolutely, Tyson! Doctors as well."

Séraphine was next. "You and Ms. Ortiz?"

Ms. Torres opened her hands out and smirked. "And us, yes. Ms. Ortiz and I are community helpers."

Now, a third victim has been found, and with the evidence gathered, the team detected that the unsub is a woman, prompting them to give the profile.

Élise decided to have her lunch hour in her office. While breezing through a section of potential full-length dresses and gowns she wanted to wear to the 18th Annual Frederick Douglass Awards Dinner, honoring the champions for the rights of the underserved, she had a phone conversation with Maeve, all on her personal phone.

"Maeve…can you imagine Séraphine skipping grades?"

Maeve chuckled. "It could be a good thing; I skipped a couple of grades, and look where I am now. I'm a geneticist, mother of two, wife to an amazing man, author…"

"Uh, try New York Times Best-Selling Author…" Élise coyly reminded Maeve of her accomplishment for her debut book.

Maeve snickered. "That, too…it could be beneficial, academically and socially."

Élise had another bite of her citrus Asian chicken crunch salad and swallowed. "Still…Spencer skipped grades, and he was excessively bullied for it."

"Come on, Lise. Séraphine's a big girl; she can handle herself. She has you and Spencer as her parents."

Élise smiled to herself—it was true. Then these two Kevan Hall gowns caught her dark brown eyes' attention: this gold paisley sequined gown with a halter neckline and mermaid skirt and this navy gown with a sequined short-sleeved top and A-Line tulle skirt.

Spencer continued working on the case with JJ. Based on the driver-side adjustments, the unsub was at a petite height. The latter had just finished a phone conversation with her mother, and from her facial expressions, something was up with her.

Spencer just finished and thought he would go ahead and ask her, "You okay?"

JJ explained shortly. "She and I got into an argument a couple of nights ago, and it's still a little tense. So—it's just not a big deal."

"What was it about?" Spencer took a chair and sat near her. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Um…" JJ had her hands lightly resting on her head. "My mother believes that children shouldn't be shielded from the realities of the world. I do," she huffed when she said, 'I do.' "Isn't that why we read them fairy tales in the first place? How would you feel if you had to tell Séraphine and Isaac about your mother's schizophrenia and why neither you nor Élise can ever leave them alone when she is around?"

Spencer sighed. "Now that I mentioned it, I have told them bits and parts. For example, I told them their Grandmother Diana has a sickness in her brain that might act strange around how and think that she's there for a lecture."

JJ motioned her hand toward Spencer's direction and directly shook her head. "See what I mean?"

"And now that you brought up fairy tales, most fairy tales in their original form were gruesome to the extreme. In Cinderella, the stepsisters had their feet mutilated to fit into the shoe, and their eyes were eventually picked out by doves. Sleeping Beauty was raped while she was unconscious by the King. Hansel and Gretel were held captive by a half-blind cannibal. Soldiers were instructed to cut out Snow White's liver and lungs so the Queen could feast upon them."

Now, JJ almost regretted asking him. "Thanks for that, Spence."

"My point is one could argue that the sanitized versions we have today are actually counterproductive to the original purpose of fairy tales, so the children can safely confront their darkest fears."

"Maybe my mom was right," said JJ. "The unsub believed in the fairy tale, not in reality."

Élise opened the oven and had a quick look at the garlic bread baking (tonight's dinner was spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and a leafy salad). She could tell Séraphine and Isaac had a good time helping prepare dinner, rolling the meatballs, and spinning the salad bowl.

Élise took a spoon, dipped it into the pasta sauce, and had a little taste. She thought it was delicious and gave herself a little pat on the back. She cleaned it with soap and water when she heard her phone's ringtone—Janet Jackson's The Knowledge—on the countertops.

Élise smirked when she answered it after seeing the caller ID. "Hey, babe. How's the case?"

Spencer breathed out lightly. "It's not every day we're dealing with an Unsub who sees herself as an avenging Cinderella."

Élise lifted an eyebrow and turned off the stovetop that had the spaghetti pasta. "An avenging Cinderella…not something you see unless it involves stepparent-stepchild. And it's my favorite fairy tale ever. Hell, there are so many adaptations of the story that I love. The OG 1950 Disney version, the one with Julie Andrews; The Slipper and the Rose; the 1997 version with Brandy and Whitney—" she kissed her index finger and looked up. "RIP, The Voice; Ever After with Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston. And… Disney's making a live-action and releasing it next year in March."

"Actually, did you know that most fairy tales in their original form were gruesome to the extreme?"

Élise placed her free hand on her hip. "Oh, believe me, I do. Thank you, Brothers Grimms."

Spencer chuckled. "And speaking of fairy tales…how do you feel about sanitizing the truth on certain topics to the children?"

"Why?" Élise wondered.

"JJ believes that children should be sheltered from the ugly truths about the world we live in, and that's why we have fairy tales to do that. And like, why we don't leave the kids alone with my mom in case…you know…"

Élise pinched her fingers between her nose bridge, shut her eyes for a second, and sighed. "I admit, there are certain topics you can't have with children…yet. But I surprisingly get where she's coming from. When I was growing up, children didn't participate in adult conversations, but my parents—mainly my mom—wouldn't sugarcoat the truth when it had to be done. Fairy tales are helpful in a way, and as much as we want to, we can't really protect them from everything. We can teach them not to be fearless."

Spencer smiled. "Yeah."

The following morning, a fourth victim was discovered in a more spontaneous manner and left behind the murder weapon—an exceptionally high heel.

Rose used a Swiffer Duster to hit clean off the walls, blinds, electronics, shelves, baseboards, and doors.

"Whatcha doin'?" Isaac asked after his Sesame Street program ended on television, and he used the remote to turn off the screen. Opal got off the couch after Rose motioned her hand, signaling Opal to get off so she could do some cleaning there.

"Cleaning," Rose finished, passing one on the mahogany coffee table. "You don't want to live in a home filled with nasty germs, dust, or pet hair, do you?" she waved the duster at the little toddler and Opal, who barked in response.

Isaac grimaced his nose and asked, "May I 'elp, peaze?"

Rose quickly refilled the dirty one with a cleaner one and handed that one to Isaac. "Why not? Two hands are better than one."

Opal barked.

"Sorry; two hands and dog paws are better than one or none in this case." Rose joked.

Isaac giggled.

The case ended on a peaceful note—and with a little tribute to all things fairy tales on the unsub—Claire Dunbar.

On the plane ride home, JJ began recalling to everyone what went down with the unsub.

"So, basically, Spence played the unsub's perfect Prince Charming, removing her shoe for the "glass slipper." And he even left a little kiss on her hand and escorted her to the carriage, AKA the back of the police car."

Almost everyone mumbled and intrigued facial expressions, but Morgan, Rossi, and Garcia, via the computer screen, howled in near-perfect harmony.

"I have to say, I almost feel sorry for her," Kate sighed. "All she ever wanted to do since childhood was to find "the perfect guy"."

Morgan was almost in the same boat as Kate, especially knowing the childhood abuse she went through at the hands of her father. "She was psychologically frozen in the childhood morality."

"No doubt about that," Rossi agreed as well.

Hotch began working on the after-action report. "Sometimes fantasy is better than reality."

"You're not wrong about that," said Garcia.

"Did you know that stilettos date back to late 15th century Italy, and the pressure under such a heel caused by an average-sized woman is greater than that under an elephant's foot while walking?"

Rossi replied, "There's a reason you don't want to mess with a woman in high heels."

"Or drag queens." Hotch joked stoically.

"Right on," Garcia preached. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm now going to soothe my eyes, ears, brain, and mind with adorable and funny animal pictures and videos while imagining I'm in my Chocolate Thunder's arms. Holla!" She logged off.

JJ watched Spencer fiddle with his wedding ring—he had taken it off and pocketed it before he talked Claire down. "How do you think Élise will feel knowing you kissed a female Unsub's hand?"

"Élise knows I'll sometimes have to play into the unsub's fantasy, and kissing her hand is much better than on the lip." Spencer knew it was a better solution, especially after the incident that could have been.

After Spencer returned home, he helped fix dinner with Élise and played with the children and Opal before tucking them into bed. And then, a few hours later, it was bedtime. The couple wanted to spend some alone time in the living room.

Élise curled her body on the chaise sectional sofa, and Spencer returned, carrying two hand-painted and gilded porcelain teacups by its saucers and placing them gently on the coffee table.

"Thanks, Spence," Élise had one and took a sip. Licking her lips, she asked, "What kind of tea is this?"

Spencer joined Élise next to her. "A blend of passionflower, lavender, and chamomile." He licked his lips after having two gulps. "You ever think fantasy is better than reality?"

"Oh, definitely," Élise answered in a relatable tone. "Especially when I was younger. In a way, it's a protection. You don't get hurt. No one can hurt you. You be surprised how far people will go."

"I deal with it at work on a daily basis, so…" Spencer shrugged his shoulders and had another sip. "In a way, this case has not changed my views on fairy tales."

"And yet, your views on fish, creamed spinach, and pork remain the same." Spencer roughly stiffed on some of his tea. "Oh, sorry…" Élise made an apologetic face.

"Mama? Daddy?" The two parents threw their heads back and saw Séraphine standing in the archway.

"Hey, whatcha doin' up?" Élise asked as she and Spencer watched Séraphine walk around the couch and towards them. "You can't sleep?" she asked again as Spencer picked her up and settled her between her and Élise.

"May you please read me a story?"

Spencer embraced her closer to him. "Of course. What kind of story do you want me to read to you?"

Séraphine made her mouth pursed up, trying to think of a story. "Cinderella!"

Spencer nodded his mouth; Élise made an amused face.

"Alright. Once upon a time…"