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.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. The story starts off on Sunday, November 16th.

"Who wants blueberry waffles?" Spencer plated two freshly made blueberry waffles on each of the children's plates and was careful to keep the hot pan away from them.

"Thanks, Daddy!" the children exclaimed just as Élise came in, stretching her back and Opal tailing behind her.

"Morning, my favorite people!" Élise called brightly with open and raised arms before she puckered her lips out, and on cue, Spencer kissed them. "Guess what's next week?"

Isaac shot his hand up. "Thanksgivin'!"

Élise cutely poked Isaac's nose, making him giggle. "Exactly! And… we're going to spend our Thanksgiving weekend with them, along with Uncle Arthur and Auntie Brenda. Ain't that excited?" Élise threw her rolled fists midair, trying to get them excited to see her state family.

"Yay!"

Élise can't remember the last time she exercised. With the workload she had within the past few weeks lately, it's been so long. She figured she would take it slow for now and start off at a beginner's level. But most of the time, Élise eventually manages to find a way.

Turning on the smart TV and clicking on the YouTube app, Élise began with a bunch of five-minute warm-up exercises like arm and leg circles, lunges, crunches, squats, five-minute planks, and started a ten-minute full body fat burn workout; both from Connie Tang.

"Whew!" Élise exasperated at the top of her lungs as she slapped her hands against her thighs; she almost caused an echo in the gym. She hoped and prayed she didn't wake up or disturb the children. She felt the salty sweat dripping all over her face; her arms, legs, and stomach felt like jiggly Jell-O.

"Looks like someone had a good workout," said a familiar, chuckling voice.

Élise whirled around and saw Spencer standing by the refreshments and stacks of towels sitting on the bench. "More like a decent one," she remarked as Spencer picked up one and extended his arm out to hand it to her. Élise used it to remove the sweat from her face and threw it over her shoulder. "How is it that not working out for a while makes you feel so slow?"

"Well, there is your metabolism, burning less calories and feeling more fatigued frequently. Not to mention, your heart has to work harder…"

"Mmm…" Élise wagged her hand out after jugging down half her bottled water. "No exercising is not good," she blew another huff of air. "Can't believe Christmas is coming already…"

Spencer had his hands in his pockets. "Where do you wanna go for Christmas? You wanna stay at Anna and Nathan's place or Aunt Ethel and Uncle Gordon's place?"

Élise drank the rest of her water before throwing it in the recycling bin. "I'm thinking somewhere different this year."

"Like where?" Spencer asked with his shoulder against the wall.

"St. Croix."

Spencer moved his head a bit. "Really?"

"Why not?" Élise dabbed whatever more sweat that seeped on her forehead. "There's nothing like a good change of scenery every now and then. Plus, I haven't been there since my Grandma Jean's funeral a few years ago," she kissed her index finger and pointed up. "RIP. And I haven't seen my other extended family since the wedding."

"It'd be nice for Fee and Zig to meet their other cousins and great aunts and uncles," Spencer added. "Good thing we did their passports a while ago."

"Well, since St. Croix is U.S. territory, it's not really required, but it is good to show evidence of citizenship upon leaving the territory," Élise mentioned as she threw the towel in the hamper. "Want to run the idea with Fee and Zig when the time comes?"

Spencer shrugged his shoulders up and down. "Okay."

Monday was a good day for everyone. Séraphine had a good time at preschool; Isaac and Opal had a good time together. Spencer and his team spent most of the day focusing on paperwork; Élise spoke at the Emmett Till Tree Planting Ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

Rose spent most of the late afternoon learning how to make homemade three-four cheese ravioli with tomato sauce and figured she'd cook it for dinner, along with a leafy green vegetable salad and garlic bread.

"So, you like it?" asked Rose when the family got together for dinner.

Isaac chewed with his mouth closed and shook his head ecstatically. "Mmm-hmm…"

"It's delicious." Spencer took another bite of his big chuck of bread.

Élise finished cleaning her mouth counters and placed her napkin beside her plate on the table. Clearing her throat, she smiled lightly. "So, kiddies…" Élise folded her hands and neatly placed them on her lap. "Daddy and I have been discussing where to go for Christmas and possibly New Year's."

"Santa's house?" Isaac asked innocently.

Spencer and Élise had to stifle a laugh. "As fun as that sounds, Zig-zag; to be hanging out with Santa and his wife on Christmas day, no."

"So where?" Séraphine raised her hand.

Élise announced, "St. Croix."

"Where's that?" Isaac asked again.

Rose quickly answered that for him. "It's an island in the Caribbean Sea. I remember going through for a getaway with Zeddy…" Now, she was lost in the memories of her late husband. "Such a beautiful place…"

Élise agreed with her on that. "We can go during the holiday season next month. You can see my side of the family…"

"Ooh! We get to meet new family members?"

"Absolutely!" Spencer petted Isaac's cornrowed hair—it felt so different, but since he saw Séraphine in cornrows, he wanted them as well. "You get to meet your mom's aunts and uncles and a whole bunch of cousins."

"Yay!" The children waved their hands in the air.

"So, are you two up for a trip to the Caribbean?"

"Uh-huh!"

Élise clapped her hands. "Then, it's settled."

Spencer heard a loud buzzing vibration coming from the mahogany bedside. Without turning his head, he picked up his phone and answered it.

"Hello…?"

"Sorry to bother you so late, Spencer." Hotch's tone was apologetic. "But we have a case that requires our immediate attention."

Spencer mumbled. "Fine…" After he hung up, Spencer slammed his phone back on the bedside and turned his head to face Élise, who had her mask over her eyes and earplugs on. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before steadily getting out of bed.

Everyone eventually made it—Kate was the last to arrive due to traffic, her husband Chris working a double and dropping her niece, Meg, at a friend's house.

Settling down, the case was about the disappearance of Jack Westbrook, a prominent attorney from the Boston area.

"Thanksgiving." Ms. Ortiz wrote the word Thanksgiving on the whiteboard. "What is Thanksgiving?" She picked on Dina Conroy, a young girl with her red hair in pigtails. "Dina?"

"A time of sharing and abundance." The young girl answered.

"And eating!" a young boy by the name of Kit Everson added, making some of the preschoolers, even Séraphine and her friends, giggle.

Ms. Ortiz and Ms. Torres giggled as well; the latter continued for the former. "Yes. However, there is a great history behind Thanksgiving. And it all began with these group of people called the Pilgrims and Native Americans…"

From what the team learned about the victim, Jack Westbrook is described as "perfect". After he graduated first in law school, he went on to be an ADA for several counties in the state, a nonprofit volunteer, and a top prosecutor in the Boston metropolitan area for over five years until he became a defense attorney and is now expecting a son with his wife of seven years, Linda.

According to his boss, Jack hasn't worked overtime in months despite telling his wife that he has. After Garcia got into his financial records, she discovered an LLC downtown apartment in his name.

And something much more sinister…

…Which led the team to give the profile to the Boston PD that Jack Westbrook is a pedophile who used his position of authority to target, exploit, and groom his underprivileged and at-risk boys from the photos found in his apartment, his victims are now grown up, and the team thinks his past is back to haunt him because something must have triggered for this to happen.

Élise held a meeting with the Advisory Committee of a task force created by the previous AG on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence recommendations to the DOJ.

Though Jack Westbrook ended up being murdered by one of his former victims, the team uncovered some more unearthly truths about the victims and arrested the remaining two.

Before Élise went to bed, she got a message from Spencer.

On the way home now…love you.

She smiled.

Sorry for ending the chap the way I did; writer's block (and life) really sucks.