A/N: Hello again, everyone! Still trying to get some of my mojo back, but still, writer's block, laziness, semi-depression, occasional nerves, and really life can totally suck; I think I picked up some weight as well—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.
The chapter starts off on Tuesday morning, December 2nd.
Another family-oriented yet memorable Thanksgiving for the Bastien-Reid families. Spencer showed Élise's side how he braided Séraphine and Isaac's hair. Instead of dealing with the annoyance and hassle of Black Friday shopping, everyone pretty much stayed home. Plus, there were Cyber Monday deals—one of the best days of the year for online shopping to get the best deals.
And speaking of Monday…
Unfortunately, Spencer, Élise, and the children's time in the Garden State came to an end since Élise had to be in Atlanta, Georgia, per the President's request to deliver remarks for an Interfaith Service and Community Forum on Monday.
Élise jammed her house key into the front doorknob and turned it—she heard a click in the spring lock—to unlock it. She stepped into the foyer after pushing it open.
Her detail stayed in the black Suburban since she had to be back at work. Her schedule for the next couple of days was going to be equally hectic. Tomorrow, she had to produce a speech during the White House Tribal Nations Conference and update the nation on the events that happened in New York back in July later that evening before flying to Cleveland.
She made her appearance known. "I'm home!" Élise immediately had an instant grin when she saw Isaac with Opal and Rose passing through the gallery hall.
"Mommy!" Isaac hopped into his mother's open arms.
"Hey, little guy!" Élise gave him a kiss on top of his head. She soon felt Opal's long tongue touch her cheek. "Were you and Fee good to your Daddy and Rose?"
Isaac swung his head back and forth. "Uh-huh."
Élise snuggled her little boy's face and playfully bopped him on the noise before she pivoted to face her luggage and unlocked one of them. She pulled out a small box and handed it over to him. "Mommy got you and Séraphine some playing cards…"
"Cool…thanks, Mommy…" he made his way to the living room with Opal releasing a bark and following him.
"I even got a bunch of other souvenirs. But unfortunately…" She made a remorseful face with her mouth slanted.
Rose completed the sentence for her. "You have to get work to."
Élise answered that with a sorry shoulders-up pose. "And I already got word from Spencer that he just left for work."
While Élise had to manage last-minute arrangements at the DOJ building, the BAU team had been given a serious bombshell…
"Say what now?" Garcia's jaw fell, and she kept blinking her eyes like she'd just woken up from a seriously messed up dream. "You mean to tell me that the woman you had me check out…?"
Rossi casually announced once more, "Joy Struthers is my daughter…"
Garcia massaged her fingers in small, soothing circles. "Oh, soap opera drama up in here…"
Kate curled an eyebrow up and had a half-open smirk look on her face. "Uh, details?"
"Like, now?" JJ crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in her desk seat. If only she had a glass of something.
Rossi had the rest of the team—minus Hotch since, as usual, he would be taking care of never-ending paperwork—come together. "Hayden and I met in Paris while I was on a trip, and…we had one hell of a summer there. At the time, she was a French diplomat to the U.S. and…already ruling the world…while I was the young yet cocky FBI agent desperate to make a name for myself."
Morgan tilted his head aside. "Mmm…a big-named high-powered woman in the political world…I wonder who that reminds you of, pretty boy?" He soon snickered.
"Oh, you're one to talk, Mr. Young Yet Cocky FBI agent," Reid riposted back towards Morgan.
Rossi continued. "Moving on…unfortunately, I…couldn't handle the burdens of it, so I divorced her…"
"And she never told you she was pregnant with Joy," Kate concluded; Rossi confirmed with a single head nod. "Well, this job is not exactly glamourous with dealing with serial killers and profiling a bunch of criminals…but still…"
"Yeah…" from the tone of Rossi's voice, the team knew that he was remorseful for how he never got a chance to be a dad and for the way Rossi treated Joy, though he had his rights to be suspicious of her and to be dropped with such a surprise. "But we got to know each other. I met my Italian son-in-law and two-year-old son, Kai…"
Garcia squealed, waving her ringed fingers in front of her face. "Our dear ol' David Stephen Rossi is a grandpa…"
"Nonno." Rossi preferred the Italian usage for grandpa.
Garcia took the tablet she just placed on JJ's desk, unlocked it, and began inputting in the engine search. "I'm sooo gonna buy some cute little toys for you to give to your grandson for Christmas…" Her glowing smile turned into a slight frown when she heard a bloop-bloop sound from her cell phone, and her eyes connected to the screen. It was a message from Hotch. "A triple homicide..."
JJ stretched her back and limbs before steadily getting up. "Let's get to it, people…"
Most of the team knew it was case time and immediately strolled to the conference room; Garcia commented while marching, "I swear, these unsubs need to take a day off…or get some therapy…"
"Yeah, I don't think therapists have enough years left in 'em…" Rossi quipped.
Ms. Ortiz and Ms. Torres got the students' attention when they said their good mornings, and they got settled in the assigned desks.
"Okay, clase!" Ms. Ortiz clapped her hands three times. "Do you know what month we are in now?"
"¡Diciembre!"
"¡Sí! It's the first day of December. Meaning it's time for the holiday seasons!" Ms. Torres mid-raised her fists in the air. "Can anyone name some holidays that are celebrated this month?"
A dozen students, including Séraphine and her friends, shot their hands up. Ms. Torres picked on Ronnie. "Hannukah!"
"Yes…" Ms. Torres chose another student. "Victor?"
"Kwanzaa!"
Ms. Ortiz snapped her fingers and winked. "¡Correcto!"
"Christmas!" Blair said sheepishly but loud enough for everyone to hear.
Ms. Ortiz smiled, flashing her pearl white smile, and pumped her arms. "Yes! And throughout this whole month, until the winter breaks, we are going to learn about these holidays that are celebrated all around the world!"
Ms. Torres injected in again. "And we are going to do some fun activities: sing songs, watch some fun holiday specials, eat, drink, be merry, respectful and grateful to one another."
"So, are you ready?" Ms. Ortiz pumped her arms.
"Siii!"
Immediately, the team was on the next flight to Salt Lake City, Utah, where the triple homicide took place to try and find some connection between the victims. Spencer was with Kate at the couple's house, and judging by the interior, there was a reason why the couple had financial problems since they were living way beyond their needs.
Observing the position where the victims were shot, Spencer theorized that the unsub came in through the backyard and spotted how the holes were recently dug—this made him think that someone used to live there.
Garcia researched the past tenants, and Rossi remembered a name from one of them, Amelia Porter, a thirty-year-old woman who murdered her much younger lover's older sister and fled from the scene.
Benton Farland…who was released from prison two days prior.
Élise descended the staircase, changing from her favorite black tweed pants, suit, and heels from work into a simple polo pink shirt, cream-colored jogger pants, and leather slide slippers. She stopped in her tracks when her nose tickled, and it was the smell of cheese, garlic, and marina sauce. She rocked the kitchen door open, and there was Rose just closing the oven and beginning to spin the salad.
Élise snuck a peek at the saucier, one of the two sources of what was smelling, and there was boiling pasta; a little bit of steam poured out of it. She closed it and asked Rose, "Whatcha up to?"
Rose attended to the salad again. "Making chicken parmesan with garlic bread, mixed salad, and spaghetti with marina sauce."
Élise positioned her hands on her slim hips—hopefully, they were narrow, especially with the extra exercising she picked up in her spare time while she was in Atlanta. She then asked, "Shows tasty. You want me to help with dessert or…?"
"No, I have a cheesecake refrigerating." Rose mimed her head towards the refrigerator.
Élise opened the fridge door and saw the Reynolds foil-covered cheesecake in the middle, next to the milk and juices. She closed it and sighed. "I can never thank you enough for all that you do, taking care of kids with Spencer and I's hectic work schedule, two toddlers…"
Rose whisked the pasta until she set the stirrer down on the countertop, picked up a small silver-tasting spoon, and nibbled. "You know you and Spencer always appreciate what I do for you two and the children, but you're welcome."
"I'll get the kids ready for dinner before prepping for my trip to Cleveland tomorrow morning."
On their way to the Farland household, Reid, JJ, and Morgan found the unsub's father dead from a single stab to the chest and the two children of the murdered sister, Andy, and Rebecca, missing. Thinking this could have served as the trigger for the killings, Garcia linked the murdered security guard to the office of the young boy's therapist and learned he's communicated with him for the past few years.
Afterward, the team delivered the profile and proceeded with caution as Benton was highly dangerous and had his nephew and niece as hostages—it was actually his niece, Rebecca, who is more of a hostage as his nephew, Andy, could be working with him in order to protect his sister.
Élise sat squooshed in a fine leather seat of the Boeing jet—the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Arjun Devi sat farther up the aisle with his two-person detail—as it docked at the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport—the captain just announced that they've landed. Through the window, she watched the traffic controllers and felt a chill and the overcast sky—the weather temperature said that it would be in the low-mid 30s for now before moving up later in the afternoon.
SSA McKinsey got her luggage for her from the overhead compartment and handed it to her. Élise now stood in the middle as he eased in front of her while SSA Yates fell in line behind her. The flight attendant, Lara, opened the hatch so they could disembark, and Élise and the agents climbed down the rickety staircase onto the runway. Feeling the chilly breeze snapping her petite body, Élise double looped her cashmere scarf around her neck and placed her gloved leather hands in her open double-breasted cotton-blend trench coat pockets.
Two local Cleveland agents from the city's FBI office—SSAs McCarter and Brock—patiently waited by the Chevrolet Suburban. Élise, Devi, and the agents loaded their luggage into the back, and everyone climbed in. Once everyone was settled in, McCarter stepped on the gas. While the SSAs were laser-focused on protecting the country's AG, Élise sank back in her seat, pulled out her work phone from her tote bag, and scrolled down for her schedule.
She figured even with her frantic roster, Élise could possibly squeeze in to see some of the city's most memorable sights and landmarks, like the Rock& Roll Hall of Fame, the University Circle home to some of the country's world-renowned museums, and the city's Orchestra. While she was at it, she could go to the hotel spa. She hoped she would make it back in time on Saturday for Kevin and Cassandra's event.
Things went from bad to worse for the Farland siblings as Andy was found shot, along with a female motorist, but unlike the good Samaritan, Andy survived despite knowing his uncle's violent nature. That also meant that Rebecca was still held hostage by her maternal uncle.
Élise finished up a roundtable meeting with Devi, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Chris Rosenfeld, Cleveland mayor, Nick Thompson, law enforcement, local officials, community leaders, student leaders, and faith leaders. She still had enough free time for the press conference later this afternoon to go back to her hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton Cleveland for a quick change in clothes and to call up Maeve—she texted Spencer, who'd still in Salt Lake City for the Benton Farland case, and just called home to see how things were going and if the children were being good.
"Did you see the text message I sent you?"
Élise tapped the messaging app on her phone and gasped. "Oh, that's nice."
It was a green velvet faux-wrap long-sleeve velvet sheath dress.
"It was on sale at Macy's, so I just jumped at the first chance." Maeve bragged. "Wait until you see the shoes and clutch I also got on sale. I'm going to see if I could get my hair done on Saturday morning and a mani-pedi, so if you can make it back in time…"
Élise sighed. "Hopefully, I will. The same with Spencer. And besides, you'd know I'd never say no to some downtime with the girls."
The BAU discovered that Benton had been a loner for his twelve-year sentence and had never made any social relations. They started to think that maybe Benton had another connection other than returning home-home to his father, nephew, and niece…
But Amelia Porter.
"When are you coming home, Mommy?" Isaac asked innocently.
Élise simpered; she took off her favorite three-inch Loubintons heels to massage her stocking feet. "Hopefully soon, little man…"
Kate and Reid led Rebecca to the hospital room where her brother was recovering. They stood by the open hospital doorway and watched in poignant silence as the Farland siblings reunited after the traumatic experience they experienced because of their maternal uncle. Unfortunately, he'd never been able to face his crimes due to his suicide. But at least Amelia Porter would finally be incarcerated after being on the lam for many years.
The two agents thought it was best to give them some privacy and needed to get back to D.C. to finally check up on some quality-rated sleep and relaxation for the weekend. They quietly closed the door behind them and walked down a corridor.
"Those two really were put through the wringer," Kate commented, shaking her head.
Reid couldn't agree with her more. "No doubt about that."
"But really, would you believe a meek thirty-year-old woman over a dominant psychopathic seventeen-year-old boy?" Kate had to ask that.
"You'd be surprised," he and Kate made another turn. "Take the double standards on older male/younger woman or male/female teachers ."
"Well, let me tell you something, anyone ever laid a hand on Meg; I don't care regarding their age or gender; I'd break 'em in two."
Reid smirked; he almost snorted. "You and Élise both, but I'd take the more…scientific route."
"Ooh, do tell…" Kate sounded intrigued by the genius' mind.
Élise sighed in complete relief when she got into her flight seat on the Boeing. She accomplished what she was set out to do by the President: press conferences, meetings, announcements, idle time for herself to relax. And now it is time for her to go home to D.C. She and even Spencer—she had heard from him that he's on his way home as well and will be waiting for him at the BAU—had a good weekend ahead.
And then, of course, there's her schedule for the following December weeks: upcoming trips to Memphis and Chicago, the Christmas shopping and activities, applications to enroll Isaac at WIS, and final arrangements for the vacation to St. Croix.
It was going to be a long December…
"Élise…?"
"Mmm…?" a feeling-sleepy-already Élise woke up mid-snore. She rested her head using her folded arms as a pillow and waited at his desk. Her vision seemed hazed, and after a few blinks, it got clearer. There was Spencer standing there with his go bag in one hand and his other hand grasping the strap of his favorite satchel bag. There were still a couple of other BAU agents working late at their desks and had kindly dismissed her detail when she got word that Spencer and the team arrived at headquarters. "Hey…mmm…" she croaked and massaged her neck.
Spencer gave her upper arm a little jolt. "Kept your promise, huh?" he smirked at her.
Élise grunted when she got up and elongated her body before she got her luggage and bag and walked out of the bullpen. "I so need some sleep and see my babies…"
"Our babies…" Spencer politely reminded Séraphine and Issac that they were his kids as well.
Élise swiveled her head with a semi-annoyed look. "Uh, I carried for nine months and gave birth to them…"
"Uh, not without me…" Spencer parried, only to slowly back down with a stronger peeved expression from Élise. "Never mind."
"Yeah."