Both Spencer and Gideon were granted time off to deal with the emotional distress caused by the latest case. Spencer decided to use the time to take a trip to both Boston and Vegas, getting Jessica away from the scene of her abduction for a while. With Garcia's help, he found pet-friendly hotels that would allow them to bring Bianca along. Though he could have found a boarding kennel, he knew that both Jessica and Bianca would be happier together. Any time the kitten lost sight of Jessica, she seemed convinced that Jessica must have been kidnapped again.

Their first morning in Boston, they went to the graveyard where Jessica's parents were buried. At Jessica's request, they stopped by a florist first to buy a bouquet of white lilies. She laid them by the double headstone, staring sadly at it. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to come until now," she signed. "But Spencer's taken good care of me. You'd like him. You may not have thought Aunt Diana was fit to be a mother, but she raised him well. I wish it hadn't taken you dying for me to meet him."

Spencer was very much undecided as to whether he truly believed the dead could hear when you spoke to them, but he figured it couldn't hurt to try. "You have a wonderful daughter, and from what she tells me, you were wonderful parents. In recent months, I haven't exactly lived up to your example. But I'm not going to stop trying. I will look after your daughter, no matter what."

Upon leaving the graveyard, the cousins went to the nearest bus stop. Spencer pulled out a book to read while Jessica stared out at the street. Eventually, the bus arrived and passengers began to disembark. A middle-aged man with glasses stopped by Jessica and smiled creepily at her. "Hello, gorgeous."

Jessica nervously shifted closer to Spencer and signed that she was deaf.

"Well, that's a shame." The man turned and walked away.

Spencer finished his chapter and closed the book. Noticing Jessica's expression, he frowned. "Was that man hitting on you?"

Jessica nodded shakily and clung to Spencer's arm as they boarded the bus. As soon as they found a pair of seats together, he put his arm around her.

"Hey, creep, don't you think she's a little young for you?" one of the other passengers called.

Spencer glared at him. "I'm her cousin, and the man who just tried to hit on her outside was definitely too old for her." He paused. "Also, I'm licensed to carry a gun, so don't get any ideas."

"Whatever, man."

Jessica simply stared out the window, blissfully oblivious to this exchange.

Back at the hotel, they discovered an unexpected problem. Apparently, Bianca did not like the housekeeping staff. The cousins were told to either lock the cat in her carrier during housekeeping hours, or forgo housekeeping. Spencer opted to pick up replacement toiletries at the front desk and forgo housekeeping.

When the pair went to Vegas, Jessica stayed at the hotel with Bianca while Spencer went to visit his mother. He had barely passed the doorway of her bedroom when she swept him up in a hug. "Oh, Spencer," she murmured soothingly. "You're all right now. You're all right."

"Thank you?" Spencer replied, confusedly returning the hug.

Diana took a step back and held his face in her hands. "Your letters. They sounded wrong for so long. But now you sound like yourself again."

"I am," Spencer agreed. "I am myself again."

Diana sat down on her bed and patted the mattress next to her. "Now, how is my darling niece?"

Spencer sat next to her. "She's doing well."

"Spencer," Diana said reprovingly. "Don't lie to me."

Spencer sighed. "She's doing as well as can be expected, considering she was kidnapped last Saturday night and held for about twelve hours."

"Kidnapped, like you were," Diana concluded. She adopted a very stern look. "Don't let her sound wrong. It will break your heart."

"I'm sorry, Mom," Spencer murmured guiltily.

"And don't you get kidnapped again either. You're all I have."

"I'll try not to."

"Good." Diana hugged him again.

Back in DC, Beth and Claire did their utmost to help their friend feel better, but they were rebuffed by an angry kitten any time they got too close to Jessica. JJ and later Emily received the same treatment when they visited. Spencer was the only person permitted near Jessica. The cousins concluded that Bianca had appointed herself 'guard cat' and declared all outsiders evil. It was simultaneously adorable and irritating.

The new school year had just started when Reid and Gideon returned to work. Before long, the team was called out to Arizona. When Jessica let herself into Garcia's apartment, she realized two things: first, that Chocolate Thunder was nowhere in sight, and second, that Garcia hadn't once come to fuss over her after her kidnapping. Jessica had an unpleasant suspicion that her two observations were connected.

As soon as Garcia came home, Jessica put the question to her. "Did something happen to Chocolate Thunder?"

Garcia sighed and nodded, tearing up. "Old age. They put him to sleep while you were in Boston."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"You had enough to worry about."

"Not too much to give you a hug." Jessica did exactly that.

Garcia returned the hug, then pulled away and sat down. "How are you?"

"Better. Spencer found a therapist for me. I still wish you had more deadbolts."

"I'll call a locksmith when the case is over," Garcia offered. "No one's snatching you again."

"Thanks." Jessica offered Garcia a shaky smile.

When Spencer got home, he immediately went to Jessica's room. "Hotch and Gideon have both been suspended," he revealed grimly.

Jessica's eyes widened. "What?!"

"The case ended very badly. A copycat killed our best suspect and then herself, and we still don't have any solid proof that the suspect actually was our unsub."

"But why would that be Hotch or Gideon's fault?" Jessica protested.

"Long story," Spencer signed wearily. Bianca wove around his legs, and he bent down to pet her.

"Well it still stounds stupid to me," Jessica decided. She pulled out her phone to text her sympathies to Gideon.

He didn't respond.

Two Saturdays later, it was time for Jessica and Gideon's monthly birdwatching trip in Rock Creek Park. He didn't show up for that either, though he did at least text an apology claiming he was too busy. Jessica wondered what he could possibly be so busy with, since she knew he'd been suspended. In fact, now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen or heard from him since the day she was rescued.

The following night at dinner, Jessica decided to broach the subject with Spencer. "Gideon comes back tomorrow, right?"

"Yes."

"When you saw him on that last case, did he seem okay?"

Spencer sighed. "I'm not sure. He never talked to me unless it was purely work-related."

"I'm worried about him," Jessica admitted.

"Me too."

At lunch the next day, Jessica saw that Spencer had texted her. "We're on the jet to Milwaukee and no one has seen or heard from Gideon." A few minutes later, he had sent a second message. "And Hotch is apparently transferring and Emily is MIA. It's just me, Morgan, JJ and Strauss on the jet here."

Jessica immediately texted both Gideon and Emily to ask where they were. Only Emily responded. "I quit. Long story. You can tell your cousin I wish him all the best."

By the time the case was over, both Spencer and Jessica had tried multiple times to contact Gideon, to no avail. Prentiss and Hotch had apparently changed their minds about leaving the team, but the cousins were getting seriously worried about Gideon.

"Maybe we should go check on him," Jessica suggested.

"I'll go check on him," Spencer replied. "If something has happened to him, it's best you're out of the way."

"The last time something happened to him, you left me at home and look what happened," Jessica retorted.

Spencer couldn't come up with an argument for that. "Come on, then."

First, the cousins went to Gideon's apartment. No one answered the door, and there didn't appear to be any lights on. After that, they drove all the way out to Gideon's cabin. Spencer knocked on the door, only to discover that it was unlatched. He pulled out a flashlight, signed for Jessica to stay behind him, and cautiously entered the cabin.

Fortunately, Spencer quickly determined that there was no danger. However, something was definitely amiss—Gideon's gun and badge were sitting on the table, along with a letter addressed to Spencer.

Spencer,

I knew it would be you who came to the cabin to check on me. You must be frightened. I apologize for that. I never meant to cause you any pain. And I also never envisioned writing this letter…

Looking over Spencer's shoulder, Jessica skimmed past Gideon's summary of the case in Flagstaff and skipped to the end.

Once again, I had watched over a video feed when someone died as a consequence of my decision. An ill girl, and a man we had never proved was a killer. I got you killed once, Spencer. I got Jessica kidnapped. After Sarah, I no longer trust myself at home…but after Tubbs, I no longer trust myself in the field. And above all, I no longer trust myself around the people I care about. I know I once promised to look after Jessica if anything should happen to you, but I do not believe I am worthy of that trust. If the worst should happen, I believe any other member of the team would be better suited to give her the life she deserves.

I said at the beginning of this letter that I knew it would be you to come up here. I'm so sorry the explanation couldn't be better, Spencer. And I am so sorry that it doesn't make more sense. But I've already told you, I just don't understand any of it any more. I guess I'm just looking for it again. For the belief I had back in college. The belief I had when I first met Sarah and it all seemed so right. The belief in happy endings.

Jason

The cousins stared at the letter for a long time, reading and re-reading it, even though Spencer had committed the whole thing to memory in about ten seconds. They didn't understand any of it either. But two things were very clear: Gideon wasn't coming back, and he believed his departure was in their best interests. Although the cousins emphatically disagreed, it was too late to change his mind.

However, further investigation of the cabin did reveal two more items of interest: a cookbook and a bird painting, both marked as gifts for Jessica.

Jessica was more saddened than anything else by Gideon's abrupt departure. Spencer, on the other hand, was reacting…oddly. He'd begun spending nearly every spare moment playing chess with himself. After a few days, Bianca apparently decided he wasn't paying her enough attention and she jumped on his board, scattering the pieces. Jessica didn't catch what he said to the cat, but judging by his expression, he was overreacting.

"Don't tell me you don't remember exactly where every single one of those pieces was," Jessica signed, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Of course I do," Spencer responded grumpily. He picked up a handful of pieces and began replacing them on the board.

"Why are you playing by yourself, anyway?" Jessica asked curiously. "Aren't there kids at the park that like playing with you?" She herself was not a fan of the game, somewhat to Spencer's chagrin.

"I'm trying to play through every possible permutation of moves in a chess game."

Jessica stared. "Why?"

"It's better than thinking about the letter my dad wrote when he abandoned me." Spencer set down the white king with a little more force than necessary.

"I miss Gideon too, but it's not like you're a ten-year-old kid to whom he has a duty of care. He's allowed to quit, even if I think avoiding us is stupid."

"It's also much better than thinking about Dilaudid," Spencer added.

Jessica had no response for that.

A few days later, the team was called out to Portland. Around dinnertime, Jessica got a message from Morgan. "You might be interested to know that your cousin does NOT do well with being trapped in an elevator. He'll probably deny it to his dying day, but his voice rose about an octave."

"That means his voice sounded more like a girl's, right?" Jessica checked.

"Yep."

Not long afterward, Spencer also decided to tell Jessica about the incident. "Morgan and I got stuck in an elevator earlier. He totally freaked out and I intend to make sure everyone knows about it."

Jessica was pleased to see Spencer regaining his sense of humor, but not so pleased that she would pass up the opportunity to tease him. "That's not how Derek tells it."

"Who are you going to believe: the guy who tries to keep up a macho image, or your beloved cousin?"

Jessica took a moment to think about it. "I think you BOTH freaked out."

"I never denied it. There are six elevator-related deaths per year, not to mention ten thousand injuries that require hospitalization. I think a little freaking out was justified."

"I'm taking the elevator to take out the trash now. I'll let you know if I die."

"That's impossible. You wouldn't be able to let me know if you'd died."

"I'll come back and haunt you." Jessica put her phone back in her pocket and took the bag of used kitty litter down to the dumpster. Then she headed over to Garcia's, fully intending to let the other blonde know about her chocolate knight's newly-discovered weakness.

That weekend, David Rossi was doing a book signing at a local bookstore to promote his newest novel. Jessica decided that it was the perfect opportunity to get Spencer's birthday present. She went to the bookstore, grabbed a copy of the new novel and got in line.

"You're a little younger than my target audience," Rossi remarked, noticing that his next customer was in her early teens.

The girl simply shrugged, gave him her book and then held out her phone. "Please make this out to Spencer and wish him a happy birthday."

Rossi took a moment to stare incredulously. He knew teenagers these days were obsessed with their phones, but this was ridiculous. Unfortunately, the girl showed no sign that she intended to be polite and talk to him properly, so he opened the book and bent over slightly as he signed it. "Family member, I'm guessing? Father, brother…?" He finished writing out birthday wishes and gave the book back to the girl, looking expectantly at her.

The girl quickly typed out a 'thank you' and then left for the registers, completely ignoring Rossi's question. He sighed and turned his attention to the next customer.

Fortunately, no cases came in on Spencer's birthday this year. He was very appreciative of the new book, and read through the entire thing on his daily commute. Garcia once again brought a cake to the office. All-in-all, a good day, even if he still wished Gideon were there.

"Don't bother coming over to my place," Garcia informed Jessica. "Reid gave me permission to sleep over at yours instead."

"Okay…why?"

"Because our unsubs are using dead cats in their ruse and I need to see and cuddle a living one."

Jessica gasped and briefly snuggled Bianca before replying. "Okay, but fair warning, Bianca still doesn't seem to like anyone but Spencer and me."

As Jessica predicted, Bianca refused to let Garcia cuddle her. She did, however, consent to play with a laser pointer—so long as Garcia stayed away from Jessica. Garcia mused that the cat seemed just as traumatized by Jessica's abduction as her owners. It was a shame that Reid couldn't hire a therapist for the cat too.

When the team boarded the jet to go home, Prentiss sat across from Reid. "The story goes, you vanished in the middle of a case and then just showed up at the jet with Jessica and announced that you were her guardian now."

"Not exactly," Reid replied, staring out the window. "I'd already told Garcia and Gideon, but there was a lot going on and Gideon never passed the message on to Hotch."

"Still. You just…" Prentiss snapped her fingers. "Adopted her. Like that."

"Basically. I knew it wasn't the sort of decision one should normally rush into, but that group home was neglecting her. If I hadn't taken her…" Reid shuddered. "I knew there were people like the Manwarings out there. I couldn't let that happen to her."

"Of course you wouldn't," Prentiss agreed. "You have too big a heart for that."

Reid shook his head. "I almost did. I didn't want to take on that kind of responsibility. I tried to convince myself that I was an unfit guardian, that even foster care would be a better option for her than living with me. But now, after seeing the Manwarings…that's what I almost condemned her to. All because I wanted to be selfish and avoid being responsible for anyone else after committing my mother."

"Almost," Prentiss argued, stressing the word. "You couldn't make yourself actually do it. Because you're better than that."

Reid finally tore his gaze away from the window. "Why the sudden interest?"

"I…wanted to adopt Carrie," Prentiss admitted. "I thought, if you can raise a teenager by yourself, working this job, then so can I. Hotch expressed concerns that I wasn't being objective. Not that it ended up mattering; they got in touch with her family in LA."

"Adopting a victim of a case we've worked isn't quite the same as adopting a biological relative at the behest of CPS," Reid pointed out.

"True," Prentiss conceded. "But…I don't know. I felt like we connected."

Reid studied Prentiss. "You would have been good for her. But if it's parenthood you want, you still have a few more years of viable child-bearing age…"

"Oookay," Prentiss cut him off. "I will worry about that if and when I find a suitable father. Thanks, Reid."

When the team went to the Potomac Mills mall to investigate the disappearance of Katie Jacobs, Reid wasn't surprised that he was one of the agents assigned to work with Jeremy Jacobs. "Jeremy, we asked your mom and dad if we could talk privately. Thought it might be easier that way."

"Cause my dad thinks this is my fault," Jeremy mumbled, staring at his hands.

"No," Reid hastily assured. "Jeremy, your dad is just super upset right now, because times like this, people get really emotional. I've actually been in your shoes, Jeremy. I have a cousin about your age, and a few months ago she was kidnapped. I know how easy it is to feel responsible, but blaming yourself is not going to help find her."

Jeremy gave Reid a suspicious look. "You're just making that up to try to make me feel better."

"No, unfortunately, he's not," Morgan chimed in. "We found his cousin, and with your help, we're gonna find your cousin too."

After Katie was found, Jeremy stood with Morgan and Reid as he watched officers load his parents into police cruisers. "What's gonna happen to me now?"

"I don't know, Jeremy, but we're gonna make sure you're all right," Reid promised.

"Your cousin…what happened to her?" Jeremy wondered.

Reid swallowed. "A serial killer took her to use as…as leverage to force us to give him what he wanted. She was tied up and locked in a closet for about twelve hours."

"And she's okay now?" Jeremy asked anxiously.

"She's getting there." Reid put a hand on Jeremy's shoulder. "One day, Katie will be okay too."

Jessica was just about ready for bed when she saw the hallway light come on. Yawning, she stumbled out of her room to greet Spencer. She suddenly found herself enveloped in a very tight hug. Drowsily, she returned it.

At long last, Spencer let her go. "Missing child case," he explained. "I don't think I'll ever look at them the same way again."

"I'll never look at home videos the same way either," Jessica replied. "Here's hoping no unsub ruins sewing class for me."

Spencer simply hugged her again.