After this incident, Jessica lost her taste for learning to handle a gun. Besides, Hotch was now spending all his spare time with Haley and Jack. Jessica decided to ask JJ to teach her self-defense instead. JJ was flattered, but recommended Elle as a better teacher. JJ nonetheless decided to accompany them, both for practice and to act as interpreter.

"Should I be worried you're not asking your cousin for help with this?" Elle asked as they entered the gym.

"This isn't Spencer's area of expertise and Derek never lets him forget it," Jessica replied.

"This isn't his…what?" JJ asked, not yet fully fluent in ASL.

Jessica fingerspelled 'area of expertise' for JJ, and JJ interpreted for Elle.

"Ah." Elle sat on a bench and began wrapping her hands. "So, what is Reid like to live with?"

Jessica thought for a few moments before replying. "He's nice. Sometimes he gets really worried that a serial killer will attack me, but mostly he lets me do whatever I want so long as I stay safe and do all my homework on time."

"Must be tough, being the only girl in the house," Elle mused. "Have you had your 'time of the month' yet?"

JJ's eyes widened. "Oh god, that would probably terrify Spence."

Jessica cringed. "Just the opposite, actually. The first time we went grocery shopping, he asked me if I needed pads or tampons, right there in the middle of the store. I really hope no one around us understood."

JJ and Elle both winced in sympathy. "He's sweet, but sometimes I get the impression he really struggles with concepts like 'tact' and 'boundaries'," Elle commented.

"Tell me about it," Jessica agreed.

Elle finished wrapping her hands and stood up. "All right, let's get this show on the road."

A few nights later, Jessica was coming back from the bathroom when she noticed a light on in the living room. Groggily investigating, she saw Spencer looking through her science homework. She walked over to frown at him. "What are you doing?"

Spencer jumped, looking slightly guilty. He quickly put her homework back where he'd found it. "I interviewed a suspect today, a father whose children had been murdered. He said his son had been clutching a painting when he was found, and the father wanted to know what his son had painted. I just…it gave me the urge to see what you've been working on."

"You're not going through and correcting everything, are you?" Jessica asked warily.

Spencer looked affronted. "What would be the point of correcting your homework without you knowing? You wouldn't learn anything."

"I don't know, I thought you might be determined to have me get perfect grades," Jessica admitted.

"Contrary to what my educational background might lead people to believe, I won't think any less of you if you don't get perfect scores in everything," Spencer responded. "You have no idea how many times I wished I was a normal kid."

"Why?" Jessica asked curiously.

Spencer grimaced. "On a good day, being the smartest kid in the room is like being the only kid in the room. On bad days…it's hard to defend yourself against bullies when they're bigger and older than you are."

Jessica had no idea what to say to that. She eventually settled for giving Spencer a hug. "I'm sorry. And don't worry, no one's bullying me."

Spencer smiled, though there was a slightly haunted look in his eyes. "That's good. Please don't be afraid to tell me if they do."

Jessica nodded. "I won't. Good night."

"Good night."

As soon as Reid had showed James Baker's rap sheet to Elle, he hurried out of Garcia's lair. "Is that like, super bad?" Garcia asked worriedly. "That someone could have made up this rap sheet?"

"No, it's parent-teacher conference night at Jessica's school," Elle explained. "Hotch agreed that unless something super urgent comes up on the case, Reid can go."

"Oh." Garcia frowned, subconsciously tapping her pen on her desk. "I hope Jessica's getting her homework done when she stays with me. I usually pick her up so late at night, and her gerbil is so cute…I've never thought to check."

"I'm pretty sure Reid checks up on her," Elle assured. "Besides, she seems like a responsible kid."

"Oh yeah, how are the self-defense lessons going?"

"Going well," Elle said with a smirk. "By the time I'm done with her, she's going to be the most badass girl at her school."

Garcia smirked back. "Girl power." She held up her hand, and Elle gave her a high five.

When Reid arrived at the office the next morning, Morgan noticed that his friend looked annoyed. "What's the matter, Jessica not top of her class?"

Reid shook his head. "All her teachers say she's great."

"So what's got you looking so sour?"

"Twenty-five different parents thought I was one of the students," Reid complained. "Do I look like a teenager to you?"

"Yes, you do," Hotch said, walking up to them. "Come with me, Morgan, we're talking to Russo again."

"All right," Morgan replied, standing up. He smirked at Reid. "Cheer up, kid, maybe in ten years you'll finally look like you're twenty."

Reid scowled as he opened his messenger bag and pulled out the case files. Was it too much to ask for people to take him seriously?

"What are we doing for Thanksgiving?" Jessica asked that night.

Spencer started in surprise. "I hadn't thought about it. I haven't celebrated in years."

Jessica frowned. "Why not?"

Spencer grimaced. "Mom never remembered what day Thanksgiving was. I tried to roast a turkey once, but it doesn't seem to be something you can learn from a cookbook."

"So…we won't be visiting her?" Jessica signed tentatively, trying not to let Spencer see how relieved she felt.

"No, I wasn't planning on it."

"So then what should we do?" Jessica pressed.

Spencer shrugged. "You can roast a turkey if you want, I suppose."

"Just the two of us?"

"Who else would we celebrate Thanksgiving with?"

"We could invite Gideon," Jessica suggested. "I know he doesn't talk to his family much, I bet he doesn't have anyone to go visit either. And he's a really good cook."

"Okay, we can invite him," Spencer agreed.

Gideon was surprised and pleased by the invitation, but had one stipulation: he would host, at his apartment. He began buying food and planning Thanksgiving dinner, thinking wistfully of Thanksgivings back when Stephen was a little boy. Gideon hadn't been able to juggle family and the BAU, but with Reid and Jessica the two went hand-in-hand. It was almost like he'd been given a second chance at parenting, and he was determined to get it right this time.

Two days before Thanksgiving, Jessica checked her phone after school and saw multiple texts from Spencer: apparently Elle had been taken hostage on a train in Texas, the team had gone to help, and Elle was now safe and sound and Spencer should be home that night. Jessica wished all their cases could be resolved that quickly.

When Spencer got home, he dropped his messenger bag on the couch and sank onto the cushion next to it, staring blankly into space. Concerned, Jessica walked over to join him. "Something wrong? I thought you said Elle was okay."

"She is," Spencer replied. He swallowed. "The man who took her hostage is a paranoid schizophrenic."

Jessica winced, understanding now. "Like your mom."

Spencer nodded. "And like Mom, he thinks the government is watching him. But Mom…Mom would never grab a gun and start shooting people. She wouldn't."

"Of course not," Jessica agreed, trying not to think about how Aunt Diana had freaked out on her.

"The team didn't want to let me anywhere near him," Spencer continued. "And then Morgan was telling me how to handle the guy, like I haven't spent years taking care of a delusional psychotic." He sighed. "Though I suppose that's not really Morgan's fault, it's not like I've ever told him."

"You haven't?" Jessica signed, surprised.

Spencer shook his head. "Haven't told anyone but Gideon. Back when he first recruited me, I wondered if the FBI would really accept a guy who might lose his mind in a few years, so I told him. But after that…people treat me weirdly enough without knowing there's a history of mental illness in my family."

"I think the team likes you well enough not to judge you for it," Jessica suggested.

Spencer snorted bitterly. "Yes, with all the mentally ill unsubs we've dealt with, I'm sure they'd love to know about this."

Jessica gave him a brief hug. "I won't tell if you don't want me to. But they might surprise you."

Spencer smiled sadly. "Thanks."

Preparations for Thanksgiving dinner were already well under way when Reid and Jessica arrived at Gideon's apartment. Gideon and Jessica immediately got into an argument over whether Jessica was allowed to help cook or not, until Reid pointed out that the potatoes were about to burn. Jessica was permitted to cook, and Reid curled up on the couch with David Rossi's latest bestseller.

A little while later, Gideon joined Reid on the couch while Jessica sliced apples for the pie. When he saw what Reid was reading, he shook his head. "It's a holiday, and you want to read about profiling?"

"I brought a book about theoretical physics and a book about 12th century Italy too," Reid replied, not looking up.

Gideon reached out to gently lower the book. "Spencer. It's Thanksgiving. For one day, get your head out of the minds of serial killers. What we do is important, but it's not healthy to let it completely rule your mind."

"But I only have 103 pages left," Reid all but whined.

"And they will still be there tomorrow. Come on, how about a game of chess?"

"Okay," Reid relented.

An hour later, dinner was finally ready. Reid was fully prepared to dig in immediately, but Gideon gestured for him to wait. "All right, what are we all thankful for?"

"I'm thankful that Spencer adopted me and that everyone in the BAU has been learning ASL for me," Jessica answered, earning smiles from both Reid and Gideon.

"I'm thankful that I have two such wonderful young people to spend the holiday with," Gideon said. "Spencer?"

Reid thought about it. "I'm thankful for my family," he said simply.

"Good answer," Gideon agreed. "Dig in!"

That night, Reid read the rest of Rossi's book before bed. He then turned out the light and crawled under the covers, pondering what he'd read. He knew Gideon and Hotch had worked with Rossi; he wondered if he would ever get a chance to meet the legendary profiler.

When Reid finally fell asleep, he dreamed that Jessica was bound and gagged in the middle of a circle. A shadowy figure moved on the other side. Jessica looked pleadingly at him, raw fear in her eyes. He tried to draw his gun, but his hands seemed to move in slow motion. The figure crept closer, until shadows enveloped Jessica. She screamed, a pool of blood spilling out from the shadows.

Reid jerked awake with a strangled shout. He turned on his bedside lamp, trying to calm his racing heart. Moments like this, he was very glad Jessica couldn't hear him. He resolved not to read profiling books before bed again.

Unfortunately, Reid continued to have some version of the dream at least once every night, no matter how non-violent his bedtime reading. By the time he went to work on Monday morning, he was feeling decidedly exhausted. Morgan noticed Reid making himself a coffee with copious amounts of sugar. "Late night?"

"Very," Reid replied, stirring his coffee.

Morgan grinned. "My man."

Reid glared at him. "Not that kind of late night. You do realize I have a twelve-year-old in the apartment?"

"Not like she'd hear anything you do," Morgan pointed out with a smirk. "Could be as loud as you want and she wouldn't have a clue."

"Even so, rest assured none of that will be happening at home," Reid said firmly.

Morgan simply continued smiling and put a hand on Reid's shoulder. "Okay, so tell me—what does keep young Dr. Reid awake at night? Wait, let me guess. Memorizing some obscure textbook. No, no, no—working on cold fusion. No, wait, I got it—Jessica had a sleepover, and she and her friends decided to give you a total makeover that you then had to undo."

Reid shuddered. "Thankfully, she and her friends aren't like that. They'd be more likely to stay up conducting science experiments."

"Wait, she's into science?"

"You haven't noticed?" Reid said, surprised. "She's obsessed with animals. She wants to be a biologist."

"Ah." Morgan was silent for a moment. "So, what is keeping you up at night?"

A few weeks later, when the team had gone to Tennessee, Garcia came back to her apartment in a very bad mood. Jessica was already there, working on homework (Garcia had given her a spare key). Garcia slammed the door and dropped her bag with a very loud thump. "How did you put up with Gideon during every case for months? It's only been hours and already I want to strangle him!"

Jessica did not notice any of this, focused on her reading for English class. Garcia felt even more annoyed, but she forced down her irritation; at least Jessica had a valid reason to be oblivious. Garcia checked on Patches and Chocolate Thunder, petted them to calm herself down, then returned to the living room. She sat next to Jessica.

Jessica finally looked up. "Everything okay?"

Garcia sighed. "Did you know Gideon hurt himself skydiving this weekend?" she asked, remembering to sign this time.

"I knew he was going. I didn't know he'd gotten hurt. Is he all right?"

Garcia rolled her eyes. "Oh, he's fine, just stuck in Quantico on crutches. For some reason, he's decided to take over my office, even though he has a perfectly good office of his own. You'd think I was his secretary instead of an elite technical goddess."

Jessica frowned. "That's weird."

"He wasn't like that when you stayed over at his place?"

"Not at all. We watched silent films, we cooked, we went birdwatching…and he stayed out of the spare bedroom. It's my space."

"Huh." Garcia thought back over her day. "Maybe he just gets—oh I don't know how to sign this—tunnel vision, when he's working a case?"

"It's 'tunnel vision'," Jessica demonstrated. "And maybe. Do you want me to text him and tell him he's getting on your nerves?"

"No!" Garcia exclaimed hurriedly. "I can handle myself." She cast about for a change of subject. "So, does your school have a Christmas dance or anything like that?"

"Yes."

"That's all you have to say? 'Yes'? Come on, girl, give me details! Has anybody asked you? Is there anybody you want to ask you? Is he cute?"

Jessica shrugged. "Ryan asked me, but I said no. Claire's had her heart set on him all year, girl code forbids me from accepting. Beth is going with Wallace. I don't have a date."

"What about a dress?"

"My dress from last year still fits."

"Last year?!" Garcia all but screeched. "Oh, sweetie, we need to get you a new dress."

Jessica looked affronted. "I'm not going to buy a new dress for every dance! What's the point of a dress if you only wear it once? And besides, I haven't worn it to anything at this school yet."

Garcia narrowed her eyes. "Was this Boy Wonder's idea?"

"No, I just don't see why being a girl should mean I have to be obsessed with fashion."

Garcia shook her head. "You two are definitely related."

To Jessica's frustration, Spencer showed no interest in planning any sort of Christmas celebration whatsoever. She couldn't even put up decorations, because Spencer had long since sold his, and Uncle John had taken almost everything that belonged to Jessica's parents. And they wouldn't be able to spend the holiday with Gideon because he had reconnected with his son and made plans. Luckily, Spencer was at least willing to exchange gifts. Jessica decided to buy him a Grinch mask, along with a large book of advanced sudokus that she hoped could at least last him more than one day. Then she felt guilty about the Grinch mask, wondering if he had some bad childhood memory associated with Christmas.

On Christmas morning, Jessica woke up to a delicious smell wafting through the apartment. Curious, she opened her door and went to the living area—where she found a well-decorated miniature tree, a small pile of wrapped presents, several garlands, and a row of Christmas cards on a bookshelf. Spencer was in the kitchen, stirring pancake batter. Jessica could smell bacon and eggs as well.

"Merry Christmas," Spencer signed, putting down the spoon. "I wasn't expecting you to get up for another hour."

Jessica wasn't quite sure what to say. "You can cook?" she finally asked.

"Yes," Spencer replied. "Home-cooked meals were usually the best way to coax my mom into eating. Every Christmas, I made her breakfast in bed. She could never keep track of the date, so I'd wait until Christmas morning to put up decorations to surprise her. She always said the surprise was better than any gift I could buy her. Though I figured you probably want gifts too."

Jessica glared at him. "Was it really necessary to trick me into thinking we weren't going to celebrate?"

Spencer shrugged. "I knew the surprise would only work once on you anyway."

"And why did you say you couldn't cook?!"

"I never said that," Spencer objected. "You seemed to like the role of family cook, so I let you have it. You and Gideon are a lot more passionate about cooking than I am anyway."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "So, do you actually know how to roast turkeys too?"

"No, I was telling the truth about that. Never got the hang of using a grill either."

Jessica looked around the living room again. "Where were you hiding the decorations? I searched the apartment twice."

"I really did sell the old decorations along with my childhood home. I didn't have a well-paying job at the time and Mom's medical bills were expensive. I bought these last week and kept them in the trunk of the car." A light flashed, and Spencer turned to open the oven.

Jessica wandered over to the tree for a closer look at the presents. Once Spencer looked her way again, she signed to him. "May I open these now?"

"Might as well, I need to focus on the stove now."

Jessica tore into the gifts with abandon. There was a book on zoology, a stuffed koala, a charm bracelet with various animal charms, a locket with photos of her parents, a book called The Lightning Thief, and a little contraption designed to do a vanishing coin trick.

Spencer joined her on the couch. "Patches could probably have fun with that wrapping paper."

"That reminds me, I bought you a couple things too," Jessica signed. She ran to her room to grab Patches, the Grinch mask, and the sudoku book.

As predicted, Patches loved the wrapping paper. Spencer smiled at the sudokus, then examined the mask with an expression of confusion. "What's this supposed to be?"

"The Grinch. It was supposed to be a joke, since you didn't want to celebrate Christmas."

"The what?"

"The G-R-I-N-C-H."

Spencer still looked baffled. "Never heard of it."

Jessica gasped. "You've never read The Grinch Who Stole Christmas?!"

"No?"

Jessica gave him a hug. "You missed out on so much childhood."

"I know," Spencer agreed sadly. "Next time we go to the library, you'll have to show me that book."

"I will. And thanks for all the gifts."

"You're welcome. Now come on, breakfast is ready."