JJ and Garcia were looking over the roster for Bruno Hawks' division of the CIA when a horrible thought came to the both of them. "What if it's one of them?" Garcia signed, jerking her head at the two CIA agents in the room with them.

"Do you think they can sign?" JJ asked, shooting a nervous glance at the two men.

"All CIA agents are fluent in multiple languages," one of the men said, as stern and imposing as ever.

"If you're fluent, why not sign back at us?" Garcia challenged. After a few moments with no response, she turned back to JJ. "Maybe he has no idea what we're talking about and is trying to trick us into thinking there's no point in signing so we'll talk out loud again."

"Is it just me, or do they look frustrated that it didn't work?" JJ agreed.

Garcia paused again, watching the men for a reaction. They were doing their best to look unflappable, but one was shifting slightly from foot to foot. "I don't think they understand us."

"That's good to know," JJ concluded. Both women turned back to the computer screens.

The next morning, Jessica and Gideon had plans to go bird-watching in Rock Creek Park. They tried to do this at least once a month, weather and caseload permitting. Gideon usually let Jessica know in advance if he wouldn't be able to make it, but this time, he simply didn't come to pick her up. He didn't respond to texts either. Jessica eventually decided to ask Spencer if something had happened; he hadn't emerged from his room, but he was normally up by now anyway.

Spencer didn't respond when Jessica knocked on his door. She tried knocking harder, unsure if she was knocking loud enough to be heard. He still didn't come to the door, so she cautiously opened it. Spencer was still in bed, fast asleep.

Concerned, Jessica walked over and shook him. His lips moved, but she had no idea what he'd just said. She tried again. Spencer finally rolled over and glared sleepily at her. "I spent half the night at Langley, let me sleep."

"Langley?" Jessica repeated in disbelief.

"CIA headquarters," Spencer explained.

"I know what Langley is, what were you doing there?"

"Catching a mole who turned out to be Gideon's old friend."

Jessica winced. "Yikes. I guess bird-watching is probably canceled."

"Probably. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Okay. See you later." Jessica pulled Spencer's covers back over him and left his room. Then she sent a text to Gideon expressing her condolences over what had happened.

Two hours later, Gideon sent a reply thanking Jessica, but he didn't seem inclined to talk about it. Soon afterwards, Spencer finally emerged from his bedroom and stumbled over to the coffee maker. Once he had filled his mug, he ambled over to the couch and nearly sat on Patches. Jessica rescued the gerbil just in time.

"The whole team has two weeks' vacation coming up," Spencer signed, not seeming to notice the near-miss. "Your last week of school, and the week after. Would you be willing to come see my mom again, or would you rather I visit her while you're finishing school?"

Jessica's eyes widened. "What do you mean, 'would I be willing'?"

Spencer sighed. "I'm a profiler, Jessica, I can tell that first meeting left you with a very bad impression. And as much as I'd like to promise you that she'll be better this time, I can't guarantee that. I'd really like for you to get along with my mother, but I won't force you to spend time with her."

Jessica swallowed. "Maybe next time."

Spencer nodded, looking slightly disappointed. "Okay. So what would you like to do for that second week? Would you maybe like to go back to Boston, visit your old friends?"

"Sure, that would be great."

Morgan and Elle were happily discussing their vacation plans when Reid returned to his desk and began packing up. "Oh, there he is!" Morgan said cheerfully, standing up. "Pretty Boy. Last chance. I can get my man to swing you a hotel room for practically nothing."

"Uh, doesn't Jessica still have school?" Elle cut in.

"Ah, she can stay with Garcia," Morgan countered. "C'mon, Reid, even you might get a little lovin' out there. And you won't be able to give me that line about 'not with Jessica around'."

"Thanks anyway," Reid said distractedly.

"Oh come on, live a little, huh?" Morgan cajoled.

Reid shoved a couple items into his messenger bag and folded over the top flap. "I have to go, I'm going home. Have a good one, guys." He hurried out of the bullpen.

Morgan frowned. "He look okay to you?"

"He looks about the way I'd look if someone I wasn't sleeping with decided to get on my case about my sex life," Elle replied, shooting Morgan a disapproving look.

Morgan held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "He looked like that before I even started talking."

"I don't know, then. I hope everything's going okay at Casa Reid…"

Jessica sat on the floor of Garcia's apartment, her notes for history class spread out all around her. At times like this, she desperately envied Spencer his eidetic memory. If only studying could be as simple as taking a quick look at all of this and instantly remembering it until the end of time. But no, she was going to have to review all this the normal way. Hours and hours of cramming and revising.

Eventually, Jessica checked the time and realized it was 11:00. And there was no sign of Garcia. Although Garcia herself had not received the same vacation time as the rest of the team, she still ought to be home by now; it wasn't like the team had any cases to keep her at the office after hours. Where was she?

Jessica sent a text inquiring as to Garcia's whereabouts. Then she set about getting ready for bed, knowing she would need a full night's sleep before her exams. But she couldn't sleep, not while staring at her phone and waiting for a response.

At last, her phone vibrated and lit up. "Some son of a bitch had the nerve to run a blackhat op into my computers. I'll be home when I find him and not a moment sooner."

Jessica frowned and finally turned out the light. That didn't sound good, but at least she knew Garcia hadn't been murdered.

In the morning, Garcia's room was still empty and the bed perfectly made. Jessica found herself getting worried all over again. It would take a scary good hacker to keep Garcia busy this long—and would someone that good really stop at messing with Garcia's system?

At school, Jessica tried to focus on her history final, but it proved very difficult. She had a feeling she hadn't done as well on that exam as she normally would have. And then, at lunchtime, she got a text from Spencer informing her that a very weird case had come up and he was on his way back to DC. Jessica took that to mean she might as well collect Patches and return to their apartment after school.

"I got a phone call last night before you guys called from Jamaica," Hotch explained.

"Any mention of a 'her'?" Elle prompted.

"'You must help him save her,'" Hotch quoted.

"So there's a 'him' now, too?" Elle asked, annoyed.

"I think he means Reid," Gideon cut in.

Elle looked around. "Where is Reid?"

"On his way back from Nevada," Gideon replied. "He called, he said he got a skeleton key and another note."

"Wait, Nevada?" Elle repeated, frowning. "I thought he said he was staying home."

"No, he said he was going home," Morgan realized. "He meant home to Vegas."

"What's in Vegas?" Elle said, baffled. "Isn't Jessica his only family?"

"No, she's not," Gideon said gruffly. "But that's not important right now. Come on, let's put everything together in the conference room."

That evening, Jessica made herself dinner and began reviewing her math notes. About an hour into her review session, the doorbell-light flashed. Surprised, confused, and slightly worried, Jessica cautiously opened the door and found herself face-to-face with a man holding a manila envelope. "I have a delivery for _," he said.

Jessica pulled out her phone to type out a reply. "A delivery for who?"

The man gave her an odd look and repeated himself. Jessica still had no idea what he'd said; it wasn't any name she'd ever seen.

"I'm sorry, could you type that out? I'm deaf, and I can't tell what you're saying." Jessica held her phone out to the man.

"I have a delivery for Dandrane. Sir Percival needs it right away, a girl's life depends on it," the man typed out.

"My name is Jessica and I don't know any Dandrane or Sir Percival."

The man looked around her at the apartment number. "This is 4682 Davenport Street, Apartment 403, right?"

Jessica nodded uncertainly.

"Take it, then. I don't care what you do with it."

Jessica gave him one more baffled look, then took the envelope and shut the door in his face. She immediately sent a text to Spencer. "I just got a really weird delivery. Some guy gave me an envelope for 'Dandrane', and said that 'Sir Percival' needed it to save a girl's life."

A minute later, Spencer replied. "Lock the door. Don't let anyone in. Don't open the envelope. I'm sending Anderson to pick you up."

An hour later, Jessica was sitting on the couch in Hotch's office. "Jessica, what did this man look like?" Hotch demanded.

"White. Dark, spiky hair. Older than Spencer, but younger than you, I think."

"Did he look injured?"

Jessica shook her head. "No, not that I could see. Why?"

"And he said the delivery was for D-A-N-D-R-A-N-E?" Gideon asked.

"Sir Percival's sister, in Arthurian legend," Reid interjected. "'Sir Percival' must be referring to me."

Gideon grimaced. "That's not a normal delivery."

Jessica laughed nervously. "No, it's not. What's going on?"

Reid, Hotch and Gideon all shared a look. "You can sleep in my office tonight," Hotch decided. "I've got a blanket in my go-bag you can use."

"But what's going on?" Jessica repeated.

"Our unsub has decided to involve you in our case," Gideon replied. "Which means you're not going anywhere until we catch him."

"I'll call your school in the morning," Reid promised.

"And we'll need you to sit with a sketch artist immediately," Hotch added. "If your deliveryman isn't the unsub, then he's talked to him. We need to find him."

Jessica swallowed. "Okay."

Hotch nodded and left to find a sketch artist, resolving to call Haley the moment he had a chance. If the unsub had gone after Jessica, none of their families were safe.

In the morning, Jessica was bored out of her mind. She sat at Spencer's desk and looked through his many books, hoping to find one that was below college level. There didn't seem to be any.

The monotony of the morning was broken when Gideon, Hotch, Reid and Garcia all gathered around the phone at Elle's desk. Jessica sat up straighter and watched them, trying to follow their half of the conversation. Gideon said something about "burns", but that was all she managed to make out. And then, whoever was on the other end of the line said something that caused all four adults to share a look of horror. Gideon quickly hung up and placed another call.

"What's going on?" Jessica asked fearfully.

"He said he killed Elle," Reid explained, his eyes wide with shock.

"What?!" Jessica signed, jumping out of the chair.

"I'm really, really hoping that was a lie…" Garcia signed, tears in her eyes.

Gideon heaved a sigh of relief and hung up the phone. "That was Anderson. Elle's alive, but in critical condition. She's being rushed to St. Joseph's as we speak." Reid signed along, just in case Jessica hadn't caught that.

"Let's go," Hotch ordered. "Reid, Garcia, keep working that code."

"Can I come with you?" Jessica asked hopefully.

Gideon shook his head. "You'll be safer here."

Meanwhile, Morgan and JJ were driving to South Boston. "The way Reid told it when he first adopted Jessica, it sounded like he was her only living relative," Morgan commented. "So who was he visiting in Vegas?"

"Childhood friends?" JJ suggested.

"Hey, no offense to the kid, but I don't get the impression he has very many of those," Morgan argued. "I know he didn't exactly get along with his classmates."

JJ frowned in thought. "Well, Jessica's his cousin, which means she's only related to one side of his family. Maybe he was visiting relatives on the other side?"

Morgan shrugged. "Maybe. I can't believe I'm only just now realizing how little I actually know about Reid."

"For a guy who talks a lot, he sure doesn't say much about himself," JJ agreed. "I know he grew up in Vegas and graduated high school at 12, but that's all I really know about his childhood. That, and the not-getting-along-with-classmates bit."

"Either way, I have no idea what happened to the parent that Jessica is related to," Morgan mused.

The code broken and the riddle solved, Reid joined Jessica at his desk and explained what was happening. Jessica swallowed nervously; it looked like she was going to see her Aunt Diana again whether she wanted to or not.

A short while later, Garcia joined them and informed them that Diana Reid had been picked up and was safely en route. Reid barely heard her, staring at the note he'd received. "I should have realized sooner. Nobody knows things like the fact that JJ collects butterflies except for me. People tell me their secrets all the time. I think it's because they know I don't have anyone to betray them to…except my family. I…I tell my mother pretty much everything."

Garcia gave him a small smile. "I don't think anyone would mind."

"Do you know that I write her a letter every day?"

"That's nice."

"It depends on why I write her," Reid said, not meeting her eyes. "I write her letters, so…I won't feel so guilty about not visiting her."

"Reid, you've got Jessica now," Garcia said consolingly. "It's not like you can just drop everything and fly across the country any time you feel like it."

Reid shook his head. "I…" He swallowed. "I committed her five years before I adopted Jessica. I only visited her three times in those five years."

"And twice since," Jessica added. "He took me to meet her a couple weeks after he adopted me."

Garcia gave Jessica a curious look. "So, is she your biological aunt, or…"

Jessica nodded. "Our mothers were sisters."

Reid finally looked up at Garcia. "Did you know that schizophrenia is genetically passed?"

Garcia had no idea what to say to that. Two of her favorite people in the world…it hardly bore thinking about.

With the team on their way to Randall Garner's house, Jessica decided it was high time she faced her Aunt Diana. She cautiously entered the conference room and sat down, pulling out her phone. "Hello. I don't know if you remember me. I'm Jessica, your niece."

Diana gave her a slightly vague look. "Yes, I remember you. Spencer writes about you all the time. He's very proud of you."

Jessica blinked. "He is?"

"Yes." Diana nodded sagely. "You keep him fed." She smiled and patted Jessica's shoulder. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jessica replied, not entirely sure how to respond to that. She hesitated, then typed something else. "Do you know why Mom never told me about you?"

Diana gave her a strange look. "Mom died before Spencer was born."

"I mean MY mom. Your sister."

Diana's gaze shifted to a point in the distance. "Vivian. Yes. We argued about Spencer, you know. She said I had no business having a child when I was sick. She insisted that Will couldn't handle it and he would leave us." Diana focused and looked at Jessica again. "Well, she may have been right about Will, but Spencer was not a mistake. My brilliant boy. Did you know he adopted a girl? She'd better treat my boy right, because she's the luckiest girl in the world."

Jessica smiled. "Yes, I am. And I do."

When the team returned, Jessica was more than a little concerned to see that Reid was covered in ash. "What happened?" she asked.

"Bomb," Reid replied.

"Which, for some reason, he didn't think we needed to know about," Morgan added, glaring at his younger colleague.

Reid rolled his eyes and started to reply, but was cut off when Jessica tackled him in a very tight hug. Once she finally let go, he changed the subject. "How's Mom?"

"She was lecturing me about Sir Percival," Jessica replied. "She thought I was one of her students."

Reid's face fell. "I'll handle her. You can go home now…or to Garcia, I suppose. I'll need at least a day to take Mom home and get her settled again."

Garcia's eyes widened. "Our gerbils!" she exclaimed. Belatedly, she remembered to sign. "We haven't fed our gerbils all day!"

"How about I take you two to feed your furry companions, and then we go see Elle?" Morgan suggested. Garcia and Jessica readily agreed.

Elle was still asleep when the trio arrived at the hospital, so they pulled chairs up to her bed. "So, Jessica, I've been meaning to ask…" Morgan began. "Are you related to Reid through his mom or his dad?"

"Our mothers were sisters," Jessica explained. "I tried asking Aunt Diana why my mom never told me about her, but she wasn't completely lucid. I'm not sure if the story she told me actually had anything to do with it."

Morgan sighed. "I've known the kid for nearly two years, and I never knew his mom was…I don't know the sign for that."

"Schizophrenic," Jessica demonstrated. "And he didn't want any of you to know. He was afraid you'd think differently of him. I told him that was bullshit, but I couldn't convince him."

Morgan gave her a wary look. "Does Reid know you know that sign?"

"What sign?" Garcia interjected. "Wait, did you just swear?"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "I'm thirteen. Of course I know swear signs."

At that moment, Elle stirred on the bed between them. Morgan took her hand. "Hey, welcome back," he said softly.

Elle moaned, a haunted look in her eyes.

A/N: Diana was trying to answer Jessica's question about Vivian, but she mentally wandered off partway through and that wasn't even close to the whole story. Spencer and Jessica will eventually learn what happened, but it'll be a while yet.