An hour later, neither Gideon nor anyone else had called Reid. He finished signing the adoption paperwork, called the hotel to let them know he'd be bringing an extra guest into his room, and tried calling the team again. Still no response. Reid was growing slightly worried, but he gave the good news to Jessica and helped her pack up her belongings. They took the T back to the hotel where the team was staying, Jessica constantly asking questions about Reid's work with the FBI.

Halfway back, the train slowed to a stop in the middle of a tunnel. A few minutes later, the conductor made an announcement that there were delays due to an explosion downtown. Reid caught his breath and pulled out his phone. There was no service; he'd have to wait until they were above ground to find out if this had anything to do with Bale. And if the team was all right.

Jessica shot him a look of confusion, wondering what was going on, but Reid kept his eyes glued to the 'no service' banner on his phone.

Eventually, they reached the station closest to the hotel and they emerged at street level. Reid made a bee-line for a bench where Jessica could set down her bags, then pulled out his phone and called Gideon again. At long last, Gideon picked up.

"Reid," Gideon said, his voice oddly choked. "I'm so sorry."

"Why? What happened?" Reid demanded worriedly.

"He-he had a remote detonator," Gideon continued. "McLean led the SWAT team inside. I didn't know. He'd surrendered, I gave the all clear…"

"Gideon," Reid cut off his boss, panic levels rising. "Is McLean all right?"

There was an agonizingly long silence before Gideon answered. "She was killed instantly." Reid sank onto the bench in shock, but Gideon wasn't done. "A-a hostage and five SWAT agents were DOA as well. Hotch was just outside the warehouse when it went off; he has some minor burns and a concussion."

"McLean is dead," Reid whispered. Jessica had been watching his face out of curiosity, and her eyes widened.

"I'm so sorry," Gideon said again.

"I should have been there," Reid mumbled, feeling guilty.

"I'm glad you weren't," Gideon said forcefully. "Take all the time you need for whatever's going on."

"Thanks. I'll see you later," Reid replied, hanging up. Now didn't seem like the time to mention his situation. Gideon sounded like he was barely holding it together, and frankly, Reid wasn't feeling much better.

"Someone died?" Jessica asked worriedly, her eyes still wide.

Reid nodded, dazed. "Agent M-C-L-E-AN. She's been on the team since I joined last September. She has a husband and a two-year-old son…"

"At least her son still has one parent," Jessica signed sadly.

"I suppose," Reid conceded. For the second time that day, he found himself thinking back to the day his father left. True, Reid had still had his mother, and he loved her dearly…but that was small consolation on days when she forgot he was even there. Fortunately, so far as he knew, Carson McLean was in perfect mental health.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Jessica signed, then gave Reid another hug. Reid hesitantly returned it.

Once Reid had taken a bit of time to collect himself, the cousins made their way back to the hotel. They stowed Jessica's bags in Reid's room, then went to eat in the hotel restaurant. It was there that Gideon found them.

"Hotch is getting discharged from the hospital in the morning," Gideon gruffly informed Reid, not noticing Jessica. "The jet leaves at ten. If you need to stay for a few days or if you need to fly out to Vegas instead, go ahead."

"No, I think we'll be ready at ten," Reid replied, signing as well as speaking.

Gideon stared in confusion at Reid's use of sign language, then noticed Jessica for the first time. "Who's this?"

"This is my cousin Jessica," Reid explained. "I've just become her legal guardian. Jessica, this is my boss, Jason Gideon."

"Nice to meet you," Jessica signed. Reid interpreted for her.

Gideon stared long and hard at both of them. Then, abruptly, he stalked away toward the bar, muttering about needing a drink.

"Does he not like deaf people?" Jessica asked worriedly.

"He's just had a long day," Reid defended his mentor. "We all have."

In the morning, Reid and Jessica were the first to arrive at the jet. Jessica looked around, awestruck. "Are all planes like this?"

"No," Reid replied. "Trust me, this one is as nice as they come."

At that moment, Hotch boarded the jet, his left arm and leg wrapped in bandages. He gave Jessica an odd look. "How hard did I hit my head?"

Reid made introductions once again. Hotch looked somewhat dubious at the idea of Reid becoming Jessica's legal guardian, but he sat opposite them. "Are you planning to consult from Quantico, or are you planning to transfer to another department?"

"Do you think I could do that?" Reid said, surprised. Belatedly, he remembered Jessica's presence, and resumed signing. "Do you think I could stay in the BAU and consult from Quantico?"

"You'd have to talk it over with Gideon, but I'm sure he'll be fine with it," Hotch replied. "I think we'll be taken off rotation for a while, anyway. We…" He swallowed. "We've just lost McLean, Morgan and I are both injured, Gideon's busy blaming himself for giving the all clear to enter that warehouse, and now you've got your situation with your cousin. I doubt even Strauss would expect us to just keep on going like nothing happened."

Reid sank back in his seat and nodded, highly relieved.

Hotch turned to Jessica. "I'm sorry, I don't know any sign language," he said slowly and clearly. "I'll have to start learning." He shifted his arm and winced. "Though that might have to wait until my arm heals."

Jessica offered him a small smile. "Thanks for wanting to learn," she replied, Reid interpreting again.

Gideon boarded the jet and sat at the other end, ignoring his fellow passengers. Jessica shot a nervous look at him and bit her lip. "Are you sure he doesn't have a problem with me?"

"He's upset about McLean, it has nothing to do with you," Hotch said gently.

"I hope so." Jessica glanced nervously at her cousin. "I don't want Spencer to get in trouble because of me."

"He won't," Hotch assured as the plane began taxiing down the runway. "So, Reid, I didn't know you had a cousin."

"Neither did I, until yesterday."

Hotch raised an eyebrow. "You've known her less than twenty-four hours and you've already decided to adopt her? Er, no offense, Jessica."

"I know it'll be a lot of work," Reid defended. "But I couldn't leave her there. I'm pretty sure they purposely didn't tell me she was deaf to try to trick me into taking her before I knew what I was getting into."

"And there are no other relatives who can take her?" Hotch said skeptically.

"None who want to," Jessica signed, scowling.

"Ah. I'm sorry," Hotch said sympathetically. "Well, don't worry. Your cousin is a good man." Reid flushed slightly at the praise.

Hotch spent most of the flight napping, trying to rest his sore head. Gideon did not once acknowledge any of his fellow passengers, to Reid's increasing concern. Clearly, McLean's death had hit Gideon very hard.

Garcia and Morgan were waiting for them in the BAU offices. "My lovelies!" Garcia exclaimed, tears in her eyes. She hugged Hotch, then Gideon, then Reid, then even Jessica—much to the latter's surprise. When Garcia finally pulled away, she managed a small smile for the young blonde. "Hello," she said, signing as well as speaking. "My name is Penelope and this is Derek."

"You sign?" Jessica asked hopefully.

"That's all I know so far," Garcia admitted, no longer signing. "I just started learning yesterday."

"You're lucky you got a new guardian who knows everything under the sun," Morgan chimed in, clapping Reid on the shoulder with his good hand.

"I don't actually know everything," Reid muttered.

"Oh, and I have this for you," Garcia added, grabbing a file folder off a nearby desk and handing it to Reid. "I found a school for Deaf children in Tenleytown, and a list of available two-bedroom apartments nearby."

"Wow," Reid said, rifling through the folder and memorizing its contents. "Thanks, Garcia."

"I need to talk to Strauss," Gideon muttered, walking away toward the section chief's office.

"…Is he all right?" Morgan asked worriedly.

"Time will tell," Hotch said grimly. "Reid, take the rest of the day off to help Jessica get settled. I'm sure Gideon would say that himself if he were…" Hotch trailed off, but the rest of his sentence didn't need to be said.

"All right," Reid agreed. "Thanks, Hotch."

Back at Reid's apartment, Reid and Jessica argued over who should take the bedroom and who should take the couch. Reid eventually won the argument, taking the couch. After more arguing about the lack of food in Reid's apartment, Jessica persuaded Reid to take her to the nearest grocery store. She claimed her mother had taught her to be an excellent cook, and she was determined to prove it. Once they returned to the apartment, Jessica shooed Reid out of the kitchen. Reid returned to the living room and pulled out a photo of the team, staring at McLean's smiling face. It wasn't fair.

Eventually, Hotch called to let Reid know that Gideon had persuaded Strauss to give the entire team two weeks off. McLean's funeral would be held that weekend. Reid thanked Hotch and hung up the phone, still staring at the photo.

Movement to his right finally made him look up. Jessica had sat next to him. "Dinner is in the oven," she announced. "Is that the agent who died?"

Reid nodded, swallowing.

"What was she like?" Jessica asked.

"She was kind, and witty. She had a way with words, she could make you believe almost anything. After Gideon, she is—was—the best at talking down U-N-S-U-B-S."

"U-N-S-U-B-S?"

"That's what we call the criminals we hunt. Unknown subjects." Reid shook himself out of his reverie. "What were your parents like?"

Jessica smiled sadly. "They did everything they could to help me live as normal a life as possible. They sent me to a school for Deaf children, but they also signed me up for activities with hearing children to get me used to dealing with hearing people. At first, Mom tried to sign me up for a painting class—she loved art—but I sucked at it and I was bored out of my mind. So then she signed me up for a book club and Dad found this nature group for me."

Reid's eyes widened. "I didn't think—you must have friends back in Boston, and I just took you away from all that. I'm sorry."

Jessica shrugged. "CPS already did that. They pulled me out of everything and sent me to the nearest public school. With no interpreter."

Reid shook his head. "They really didn't want to deal with you, did they."

Jessica shrugged again. "At least they let me keep my phone, so I could text my friends. Until the phone service got canceled."

"I'll get you added to my plan," Reid promised.

"Thanks." Jessica looked up at the clock. "Dinner's ready."

"Something smells good, what are we having?"

"Chicken parmesan."

Reid smiled. "My own personal chef. I could get used to having you around, Jessica."

In the morning, Reid and Jessica went to the school Garcia had found to see about enrolling Jessica in the sixth grade. Jessica had to take several placement tests, so Reid left her to it and began looking at the apartments on Garcia's list. Some looked more promising than others, but he wanted to check out the entire list and let Jessica have some say in the final decision.

Jessica cooked again that night, refusing to let Reid fall back on his habit of take-out. After dinner, they curled up on opposite ends of the couch with various books. Reid was very relieved that Jessica shared one of his favorite habits; he would have had no idea how to entertain her otherwise.

The next day, the results of Jessica's tests came back; she was accepted into the sixth grade, and into several honors courses. Reid spent the day going over the remainder of Garcia's apartment list. Once school got out for the day, he took Jessica to see his favorites. To his consternation, Jessica had only one stipulation: she wanted a place that allowed pets.

"Jessica, we don't have any pets," Reid pointed out, quite reasonably in his opinion.

"But we might later!" Jessica signed hopefully.

"We have enough to deal with right now without adding pets into the mix. Besides, I've never been very good with animals."

"But maybe someday we'll find a pet that likes you!" Jessica persisted. "I'd take care of it and everything! Please?"

So Reid relented and signed the rental agreement on the one apartment from his list that allowed pets. Not that he had any intention of actually buying a pet any time soon, but he was willing to leave the option open for Jessica's sake. Now he had to figure out the logistics of actually moving all his stuff and buying a second bedroom's worth of furniture for Jessica.

In the morning, Reid grimaced as he tossed aside yet another newspaper. The press had got wind of what happened in Boston, and they were dragging the FBI—especially Gideon—through the mud. This couldn't be good for Gideon's mental state. Reid had tried calling his mentor, but Gideon never picked up.

Jessica was quick to notice that her new guardian was upset. "What's wrong?"

Reid simply gestured to the newspaper, not trusting himself to talk about it. Jessica read through the newspaper and frowned, once again struck by doubts about Jason Gideon. She could tell that her cousin and his team respected the man, but she simply wasn't seeing what it was they respected about him. However, she decided to keep her thoughts to herself, knowing that signing her mind would only upset Spencer further.

When Saturday finally came, Jessica insisted on accompanying Spencer to McLean's funeral. She might not have known the woman, but Spencer had, and she was determined to be supportive of her newfound family. To her consternation, everyone who spoke at the funeral kept their heads down, making it impossible to read their lips. Spencer offered to interpret, but Jessica didn't want to make him divide his focus when she hadn't even known the woman anyway.

When the gathering finally dispersed and the mourners began to mingle, Jessica unglued herself from Spencer's side, not wanting him to feel pressured to include her in conversations. She wandered off to a tree at the edge of the cemetery, admiring a bird's nest in the branches. As she watched, a red bird flew back to the nest.

Movement in the corner of her eye distracted Jessica. She looked up and saw that Jason Gideon had approached her. She swallowed nervously.

"Northern cardinals," Gideon said, gesturing to the nest. "Beautiful, aren't they?"

Jessica nodded mutely, fairly certain that Gideon didn't sign.

"Do you have an interest in birds?"

Jessica nodded again.

"Amazing creatures. Despite the many varying plumages, it's the behavior that truly distinguishes one species from another. Gulls, birds of prey, songbirds…every spring, the sound of birdsong reminds me that no matter what hardships we face, life goes on and begins anew." Gideon suddenly looked awkward and embarrassed. "Though I suppose you wouldn't have much interest in birdsong."

Jessica shrugged and gave him a half-hearted smile, recognizing that he was at least trying to be friendly.

"I'm sorry I didn't properly introduce myself before. Jason Gideon," he continued, offering a hand. Jessica shook it. "I don't know if your cousin told you, but I was the one who recruited him to the FBI. I saw a promising young talent in him like I'd never seen before. He excels in academics, he excels at profiling, and I'm sure he'll excel at raising you."

"Thank you," Jessica signed, not sure he'd understand her but feeling the need to say it all the same. In hindsight, she should have brought her phone to type in, even though Spencer's provider was dragging their feet about activating her service.

"Ah, here," Gideon said, fumbling in his pocket and then pulling out his own phone. "You can type in that."

Jessica nodded gratefully and took the phone, typing out a message. "Thank you. He thinks very highly of you too."

A shadow crossed Gideon's face. "Don't know that I've done much to earn that. If he hadn't been busy with you, I might have gotten him killed too."

The same thought had crossed Jessica's mind over the past week, but she decided not to mention that. She typed out a different message instead. "So, I kinda saved his life just by existing?"

A wry smile crossed Gideon's face. "I suppose you did. Keep up the good work, kid." He paused, looking awkward and uncomfortable again. "Word on the grapevine is you guys are moving tomorrow. Need any help with that?"

Jessica hesitated. Truth be told, they could use some help, but she was still unsure about Gideon. Then she shook off the thought. Perhaps this would give her a better chance to see whatever it was that Spencer and his team saw in their unit chief. "Sure," she typed.

As it turned out, the entire BAU team showed up to help with the move, even though both Morgan and Hotch were still recovering from their respective injuries. Morgan supervised the movers who'd been called to deal with the larger furniture. Hotch's wife Haley helped Reid to pack up the rest of the apartment. Gideon and Hotch worked together to assemble Jessica's new bed, Gideon doing most of the work. Garcia helped Jessica to unpack, taking the opportunity to show off what new sign language she'd learned over the week. Much to Jessica's pleased surprise, the whole team had been learning, even Gideon.

At the end of the day, they all ordered pizza (which Gideon insisted on paying for). Hotch proudly announced Haley's pregnancy, causing Garcia to gasp and instantly begin fussing over the other woman. Morgan and Reid discussed how to rewire the doorbell to make a light flash inside the apartment in addition to giving off the standard doorbell sound. Gideon gave Jessica a comprehensive guide to North American birds and offered to take her bird-watching sometime. By the time Jessica went to bed in her new room for the first time, she felt like she'd been inducted into a much bigger family than she'd initially realized.

A/N: No, Jessica was not held back a grade—she turned twelve during the school year.