A/N: From this point on, if multiple team members are present in a scene with Jessica, then unless otherwise indicated, assume that the team members are both speaking out loud and signing to the best of their ability.
Life in the Reid-Warner household began to settle into a sort of routine after that, or as routine as life could get when one family member had a job that involved flying across the country at the drop of a pin and not knowing when (or if) he'd be home. Reid always told Jessica where the team was going, but by the time school let out for the summer, the cousins no longer felt the need to text every hour.
The rest of the team were steadily making progress as they studied sign language. Gideon made progress far more rapidly than the rest, since he spent more time with Jessica and wasn't working long hours. One week in June, Gideon and Jessica managed to get through an entire three-day case without Jessica having to type anything out in her phone. There had been a lot of fingerspelling involved, but Jessica still considered it a milestone.
When the Fourth of July rolled around, Hotch hosted the entire team at his house for a barbecue. A heavily pregnant Haley initially attempted to play hostess, but Garcia shooed her into a chair while Jessica and Gideon took over cooking side dishes. Morgan found a soccer ball in the Hotchners' garage and began playing with JJ. They both tried to persuade Reid to join them, but it proved to be a futile endeavor. Even more so after JJ misjudged her aim and accidentally kicked the ball into his head. Reid shot her an indignant glare before turning back to Garcia and continuing their geek-out over the newest Star Wars film.
After dinner, Reid pulled a deck of cards out of his bag. "Anyone for poker?"
Jessica's eyes lit up at the sight of the cards. "I'm in! What are we playing?"
Hotch gave Reid a skeptical look. "Are you teaching her to gamble?"
Reid shrugged. "Not with real money." Hotch, Haley and JJ all looked at him in disbelief.
Morgan snorted. "Guys, you do know he's from Vegas? They probably teach poker in kindergarten there."
"Third grade," Reid muttered.
"Which for you, probably happened at about age six," Morgan surmised.
"Well, I'm in," JJ decided. "What are we betting with?"
"Consults?" Morgan suggested. "There'll probably be a pile of them for all of us tomorrow."
"I don't do consults," JJ pointed out.
"Cups of coffee?" Reid suggested. "Actual coffee shop coffee, not break room coffee?"
"But I don't even like coffee," Jessica grumbled.
Garcia stared at her. "How are you related to Reid?"
Jessica frowned in thought, then straightened as an idea came to her. "I know! If I beat Spencer, he has to buy me a gerbil!"
Reid choked on his lemonade. "You want a gerbil?"
"Please? I'd take care of it, you'd just have to buy food and bedding when they run out!"
"What about when I'm on a case?"
"I don't mind her bringing a gerbil to my place," Gideon spoke up.
"Fine," Reid said and signed with a sigh. "If you beat me, you can have a gerbil."
Jessica gave an excited little bounce in her seat. Reid expertly shuffled the cards and then dealt. They played for roughly an hour, Reid winning nearly every game. Try as she might, Jessica could not beat her cousin. She slumped further and further with disappointment as the game went on. Morgan speculated to himself that Reid might have let her win a few games if there wasn't a gerbil hanging in the balance.
When the cousins got home that night, Jessica still wasn't ready to let it go. "You said before that we couldn't have pets because we were settling in. We're settled now."
Spencer sighed. "A pet is a big responsibility, Jessica, you know that."
"I know!" Jessica signed, annoyed. "I had a gerbil before, remember?"
"Your parents helped take care of that one, didn't they?"
"Only at first," Jessica insisted. "Honey was their way of getting me used to having responsibilities."
Spencer sank onto the couch. "I just don't know…where would we even put the tank?"
"I'll clear a space in my room!" Jessica offered. Seeing that Spencer still wasn't convinced, she frowned and bit her lip. "How about a deal? If you're ever gone on a case for more than a week, you have to buy me a gerbil to make up for it. And to keep me company."
Spencer sighed again. "All right, it's a deal."
Much to Spencer's chagrin, he almost immediately had to hold up his end of the deal. The very next day, the team was called out to Los Angeles to deal with a killer who was starving his victims and performing hysterectomies on them. Hotch recognized the signature as that of a serial killer whom the BAU had been chasing off and on for over ten years, and they stayed in LA for six weeks before conceding defeat and returning to Washington.
The following weekend, Jessica became the proud owner of a gerbil named Patches.
A few days later, Spencer answered the door and found himself face-to-face with two girls about Jessica's age: a short African-American girl whose hair was done up in a multitude of tiny braids, and a Caucasian girl with wavy golden brown hair and a smattering of freckles. Both girls gawked at him. "Hello," the freckled girl signed shyly.
"Hello," Spencer replied, guessing that these were the friends Jessica had invited over. "Are you Beth and Claire?"
"I'm Beth, she's Claire," the black girl replied.
Spencer stood aside to let them in. "Jessica and the gerbil are on the couch."
"Thank you," Beth signed. Neither girl moved, still staring at him.
Spencer shifted uncomfortably. "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me." He hurried away and closed his door.
Claire closed the apartment door and followed Beth to the couch, where Jessica was watching Patches play with a cardboard tube. "Why didn't you tell us your cousin was gorgeous?!" Claire demanded.
Jessica frowned at her. "One, he's my cousin, and two, he's a little old for you."
"Still gorgeous," Claire insisted.
"Besides, age is just a number," Beth added.
"I thought you were here to see my gerbil, not to ogle my cousin," Jessica complained. She really didn't understand the fuss, anyway. Sure, Spencer was good-looking, but why stare at him when there was a cute, fuzzy animal to cuddle and admire?
Beth crouched down to look at Patches and signed to the gerbil. "You're lucky to live with two such cute humans, you know that?"
Jessica rolled her eyes and gave up.
The last Monday in August, Gideon walked into his office after classes to find Reid sitting in front of his desk, staring at a book without turning the pages. "Everything okay, Reid?" Gideon asked, concerned.
"It's Jessica's first day of school today," Reid replied, still staring at the book.
"…And?"
Reid finally looked up. "When I was her age, I was starting my freshman year at Caltech."
Gideon sat down opposite him. "Reid, you know can't hold her to the same standards you've been held to all your life."
"I'm not!" Reid objected. "I was doing a triple major, performing magic on street corners to make a bit of extra cash, and calling my mother five times a day to make sure she ate! I don't want that for Jessica. I'm glad she gets to go to school with kids her own age, kids who are like her."
"But?"
"How am I supposed to give her a normal life when I don't even know what normal teenage life looks like?" Reid asked quietly.
Gideon shook his head. "Reid, I think the question you should be asking yourself is not how to give her a normal life, but how to give her a happy one. Everyone is different—deaf or hearing, genius or average. You don't need to know what 'normal' is for kids her age. You just need to know what works for her. And you're a hell of a profiler, you'll figure it out."
"Thanks," Reid said, managing a small smile. He swallowed. "There's something else I've been meaning to ask you, actually. You know I've already made you my power of attorney in case of emergencies; I was wondering if…if you would be willing to take full custody of Jessica if anything ever happens to me. Physical or mental. I mean, you don't have to, I understand if it's too much to ask…"
"Reid," Gideon said quietly. "I'd be honored. And I am honored, that you would trust me with this."
"Thanks," Reid said again. "It means a lot."
A few weeks later, Hotch and Morgan came into Gideon's office to inform him that he would be accompanying them on their new case in Seattle. Surprised and slightly flustered, Gideon looked over at Reid to see his reaction. "We've talked it over with Garcia and Jessica," Reid added. "Jessica will be staying with Garcia while we're gone."
Gideon looked down at the case file in his hands. "Then we'd better get started."
Jessica opened the door to greet Garcia. "What took you so long? I thought you were picking me up at 7:00."
"Poor JJ has been out with a bug, and I had to smother her in love and chicken soup," Garcia explained. She bent down to look into Patches' carrier. "Is this the furry ball of adorable goodness?"
"Either look at me or sign, please," Jessica signed, slightly annoyed. Garcia was very nice to her, but had an unfortunate habit of forgetting Jessica's communication needs.
"Sorry, sweetie," Garcia apologized, signing along as best she could now. "I get close to cute, furry things and I get tunnel vision."
"Patches is cute," Jessica conceded.
"I might just have to buy a friend for Patches to live with me," Garcia mused thoughtfully. "Otherwise, I don't know that I'm gonna be able to let this little guy leave."
Jessica gave Garcia a wary look and pulled Patches' carrier closer to her. "Patches is mine. You don't get to keep him."
"I know, I know, I'm kidding. Well, I'm not kidding about buying a gerbil for myself, that little guy is cute."
A few hours later, Garcia was staring in dismay at her closet. Jessica was trying very hard not to laugh. "I warned you not to let him loose in there."
"How is it he managed to pee on every outfit except the most boring one?" Garcia complained.
"At least he didn't chew on any of them. Spencer had to replace his shoelaces twice. Now he keeps his shoes in his closet. Patches is strictly banned from his room."
"I change my mind," Garcia decided. "I'm not buying myself a gerbil until I figure out a system to protect my wardrobe, because I'm not banning gerbils from my bedroom."
Jessica shrugged. "Just keep your closet and dresser closed. That's what I do when he's out of his tank."
That weekend, Jessica tried to join Spencer on the couch to watch a Star Trek rerun. Seeing Patches in her lap, he immediately scooted away. Jessica pouted at him. "You know, you could at least try to make friends with him."
"He squeals any time I get close to him," Spencer complained.
Jessica looked down at Patches. She was fairly certain he hadn't opened his mouth since she sat down on the couch. "You're just making that up so you can avoid him."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too. He's purring right now."
Spencer gave her an odd look. "How can you tell?"
Jessica rolled her eyes. "He's vibrating and his jaw is moving against my leg. I can feel it. You could too, if you'd get over your fear and pet him."
Spencer finally relented and cautiously held his hand out toward Patches. Patches sniffed him, then burrowed between Jessica's legs. "See? He doesn't like me," Spencer insisted.
"He didn't try to bite you either," Jessica pointed out. "Just let him get to know you, and he'll come around. He already loves Penelope, Beth and Claire."
"I think everything furry loves Penelope," Spencer retorted, unimpressed. He glanced at the hand Patches had sniffed, then sighed. "A victim's dog barked at me, and Hotch joked about it being 'the Reid Effect'. 'Happens with gerbils too'."
"Animals sense fear," Jessica replied. "As long as you're nervous around them, they'll be nervous around you."
"Actually, they can smell—" Spencer began, then broke off, realizing he'd basically just admitted he'd known that all along. "I just don't know how to make myself not be nervous around them."
"Then it's time for you to start practicing," Jessica decided, grabbing Patches right as he tried to crawl up the leg of her shorts. She scooted closer to her cousin again, keeping Patches on her lap. Spencer shot Patches a wary look, then returned his attention to the TV.
A few days later, Elle emerged from Gideon's office and heard Morgan talking to Reid. "Do you think I should be worried?" Morgan was saying.
"You should be flattered," Reid replied, staring at a chessboard on his desk.
"I don't know," Morgan said skeptically. "I'm not sure I like this comparison."
"This is Garcia we're talking about," Reid responded. "To her mind, it's probably a compliment of the highest order."
"You really think I should be flattered that she bought a gerbil and named it 'Chocolate Thunder'," Morgan said flatly.
"Do I want to know what you guys are talking about?" Elle asked worriedly.
"Our tech analyst named her new gerbil after Morgan," Reid explained.
"No, she named her new gerbil 'Chocolate Thunder', one of her favorite nicknames for me," Morgan corrected.
"Yeah, I'm…I'm not really sure what to make of that either," Elle admitted. "So, question for you: the Footpath Killer. Why did he stutter?"
On the plane back from Arizona, Gideon handed Reid his phone. "You know, you really should keep better track of this. I got a panicked text from Jessica, asking if you'd been killed."
"Oh," Reid said sheepishly, opening his phone to see over a dozen texts from Jessica. He quickly shot off a response.
"You were really in the zone there earlier, huh kid?" Morgan joked.
"I was trying to think outside the box," Reid muttered.
"And you did so very well," Hotch praised.
Reid ducked his head and mumbled something indistinct. Elle leaned back in her seat, then turned to Morgan. "So…Reid has a girlfriend? I gotta admit, I would never have guessed that."
Morgan shot her a look of surprise, then snorted in laughter. "Not quite. Jessica is most definitely not his girlfriend. Your profiling skills aren't that far off."
"All right, I'm up for a new challenge," Elle decided, staring pensively at the youngest member of the team.
Morgan opened his mouth to say something, then changed his mind and closed it again. This might actually be entertaining to watch. He texted Garcia to warn her not to spill the beans.
"So, what's Elle like?" Jessica asked after Spencer helped her with a particularly difficult math problem.
"She's interesting," Spencer replied. "Passionate. Eager to prove herself."
"Pretty?" Jessica suggested teasingly.
"I am never calling a coworker 'pretty' in front of you again, not now that most of them can understand you when you mock me for it," Spencer responded, frowning. His expression looked rather like a pout, but Jessica decided not to tell him that.
"So, you think she's pretty."
"I didn't say that!"
"Come on, I've known you seven months and you haven't been on a single date," Jessica pressed. "Do I have to get with Penelope to set one up for you?"
"No!" Spencer yelped. He cleared his throat, glad Jessica couldn't hear that his voice had risen an octave. "No, I don't need either of you interfering in my love life."
"That would require you to have one for us to interfere in," Jessica retorted. "Derek doesn't call you 'Pretty Boy' for nothing, so what does it take with you?"
"…Finish your homework," Spencer ordered, then retreated to his room and slammed the door. He'd read plenty of parenting handbooks since adopting Jessica, but not one of them had prepared him for this.
When the team returned from their bombing case in Palm Beach, Elle spotted a young blonde girl sitting in the conference room with Morgan and Garcia. The trio apparently noticed the team's arrival, and they emerged into the bullpen. Reid walked over to them, not even bothering to stop by his desk. The girl hugged Reid, then said something in rapid sign language. Reid responded, also in ASL. Then Garcia spoke and signed. "Come on, apprentice lover of all things cute, it's time for furry cuddlebugs." She put an arm around the girl's shoulders and led her out of the BAU.
"What's the matter, Reid, still scared of gerbils?" Morgan joked.
"I'm not scared, I just have a report to finish," Reid said flatly, returning to his desk.
A noise behind Elle startled her out of her silent observation. JJ had just dropped a book on her desk. "Here. Since I'm sure you were totally lost just now." Elle looked down and saw that the book was an ASL dictionary.
"Thanks," Elle replied. "So, was that a sister, niece…?"
"Cousin," JJ clarified. "She's kinda become the collective kid of the BAU ever since her parents died. We're all studying sign language—well, except Spence, who naturally learned it in college for the fun of it."
"It makes for a fascinating study in linguistics," Reid spoke up from his desk. "Sign language has all the fundamental features of language, with its own rules for pronunciation, word formation, and word order, and yet it has separate methods for communicating concepts that in spoken languages are often illustrated through intonation, which obviously cannot be used in sign language—"
"Which I'm sure Elle can read all about in the book," JJ interrupted, though not unkindly.
"Thanks, JJ," Elle said with a smile. She stuffed the book into her purse, intending to study it at home. She hoped she'd know enough to at least introduce herself the next time she saw Garcia's cousin.