A/N: Hello again, everyone! For those who watch Criminal Minds: Evolution, it's still gettin' crazier and crazier…and darker as usual.
Just like one step at a time, I'm takin' one day at a time.
Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds (but I wished I did because certain storylines would not have happened). No copyright infringement is intended.
Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom of the main bedroom, Élise affixed her dangling earrings to her earlobes and squirted Vera Wang's Princess fragrance behind her ears, on the base of her throat, and a little bit on each of her Vaseline-applied wrists. Her face was made up of bronzer, concealer, eyeshadow, mascara, and dark red lipstick. Her hair was in an intricate updo, and not a strand was out of place.
Walking out, Élise smiled at the sight of Spencer standing in the new fitted Hong Kong tailored suit she got him. "You look handsome. I look good, too?" she twirled around, trying to show off her black Vera Wang gown (it concealed her baby bump well) from one of her collections—as always, Gelila came through for her again, black Jimmy Choo mid-heels and clutch.
"Stunning," Spencer passed his wife her evening bag; he took her manicured hand and guided her out of the bedroom and into the hallway. "Kids are tucked in and dreaming sweetly, I bet."
"Now, we can head to the state dinner…"
Tonight was the night of the visiting Chinese President and his wife. The White House State Dinner is considered to be one of the most outstanding and opulent White House affairs.
When Élise and Spencer's names were called by the announcer, the couple walked together with their hands embraced through the East Room by the eager reporters and the rapid camera flashings. A female journalist asked her about attending the state dinner, and Élise joked that it always gives her the chance to dress up and show up.
Upon entering the East Room for dinner, a string quartet from Michigan entertained the large crowd of two hundred people. The décor paid tribute to the East-meet-West aesthetic, especially with the two calligraphed roses on a 16-foot hand-printed silk scroll and the flowing nature-landscaped crimson flowers.
Spencer and Élise enjoyed chatting and getting acquainted with some of the guests. There were business to tech moguls, Hollywood executives to listers, local to federal to international politicos and dignitaries. Invitees included Mark Zuckerberg, Misty Copeland, and the CEOs of Apple and Disney.
The East-West Autumn-inspired menu was prepared by the Executive Chef and Pastry Chef, along with a Top Chef Masters contestant. As much as Élise wanted to, but for the safety of the baby, she opted not to eat the wild mushroom (the main reason why) soup. However, she and Spencer still dined on the butter-poached main lobster (lobster is a crustacean, not a fish), grilled Colorado lamb and poppyseed bread and butter pudding. And the "A Stroll Through the Garden" dessert display that was made with handmade chocolate, pulled sugar and white lotus flowers, and miniature pastries—if Élise could, she'd eat the whole thing.
There was some applause and laughter during the exchange of toasts of unity, friendship, and peace between the two countries. After the dinner, Grammy Award-winning R&B star Ne-Yo performed at the State Dining Room, and some of the guests clapped and even danced along like Spencer and Élise did, which got some eyes glued to them.
Spencer just arrived at the bullpen. Just as he placed his satchel bag on top of his chair, he sensed a light tap on his shoulder.
"Check you out, Pretty Boy," Morgan came from behind him. He flaunted his phone screen to him, and there was a photo of him and Élise dancing. "I didn't know you still had the moves…"
Spencer gave Morgan a bit of a smug facial expression. "I've always had moves; you're just not there to see them." Morgan responded with a sarcastic 'ooh' face.
"But I'm not gonna lie, what's been goin' on with you?" Morgan asked, taking a seat on the edge of his desk—he ensured he wasn't disrupting his desk setup, knowing how OCD Spencer can get. "And don't think you can lie to a profiler."
Spencer leaned back in his desk chair and crossed his fingers together. "Let's just say Élise and I…will be having another…addition…in our lives soon." He watched how Morgan's mind divided to a halt and went over his choice of words.
"No…" Morgan's face stumbled. "No way, for real?" he broke into a smile. Spencer confidently assured him with a head nod.
Morgan reached out for Spencer, jolting him off from his seat, and wrapped his arms around him in a manly embrace. "Congrats, Pretty Daddy. Does Hotch know?"
"Yup." Hotch was the first to know; he and Élise agreed to let the team know when she reached the fourth month of her pregnancy.
"Oooh!" Garcia squealed and melted into the hug. "Oh, how I love morning hugs!" After pulling back, she asked, "What are we celebrating?"
Spencer announced proudly. "Another BAU baby."
Garcia's jaw dropped. "Yay-yay-yay-yay!" After she stopped jumping for about four seconds, she turned to throw her arms around Spencer. "This time, I want a BAU girl."
"You know Élise, and I can't make any promises about that," Spencer drew his body away and caressed her shoulders. "But we wouldn't mind another girl for Séraphine to have a little sister."
Garcia pressed her fingers to her temples. "I'm going to do an ancient chanting prayer that you and Élise will have another baby girl…" She turned around again to walk away, rather pleased with herself. "Oh, great spirits of the past…"
Spencer and Morgan looked at each other with amusement towards Garcia before their attention turned to a woman coming out of Hotch's office. It was a tall, statuesque woman (she must be six feet tall) with a dark complexion and a short, pixie hairstyle.
"Here comes our new team member." Their new team member was Dr. Tara Lewis, a forensic psychologist who worked with the San Francisco field office.
After Tara walked the steps, she spun, saw Spencer and Morgan by their desks, and walked towards them. "Hey there again."
"Hey," Morgan broke the ice. "And again, great work." Her role in catching the unsub—international criminal Giuseppe Montolo, who sought revenge after one of his clients took a hit out of him—safeguarded the second position. It wouldn't be long before JJ returns from her maternity leave, and the team will feel complete again.
Tara gave herself two thumbs up. "I waited 36 hours, but it was so worth it," she slapped her hands together. So…you wanna help the new kid get settled in or what?" She ended the sentence with a smile.
Later that night, it was dinnertime. Séraphine slurped loudly on a red lentil spaghetti noodle (in Japan, loudly slurping noodles means the meal is delicious) while Isaac took a huge bite of the meatball. The two helped prep dinner—Séraphine and Isaac stirred the skillet for the sauce and formed the meatballs.
"You two enjoying your dinner?" Élise was finished feeding Alexei his milk before she passed him down to Spencer, who was prepared with a towel on each of his shoulders.
"Mmm-hmm…"
Spencer kissed the top of Alexei's head, and Élise used her napkin to wipe any pasta sauce from the corner of her mouth. She helped herself to a sip of sparkling water before she cleared her throat. "So, kiddies…Mommy and Daddy have an announcement to make."
"Yes?"
Isaac swallowed. "Mmm…?"
Spencer and Élise smiled at each other before they faced the kids again. "We're going to have another baby!"
"Again?" Séraphine asked, raising an eyebrow.
Élise shook her head. "Yes, again."
"Am I gonna get anotha' brotha?" Isaac asked with a mouthful.
Spencer lectured Isaac. "Ziggy, what have we said about talking with your mouth full?" He watched his son respond with a 'sorry' look and shoulder shrug. He continued, "We won't know if you two are getting another brother or sister, so it'll be a few months."
Isaac banged on the table. "I wanna anotha' brotha! I wanna anotha' brotha!"
"Isaac…" Spencer gave Isaac another stern look.
A petite, plump nurse in green scrubs, a gray long-sleeve shirt, and sensible white nurse shoes called Spencer and Élise for their monthly appointment with Dr. Patterson. She greeted them with a friendly smile and escorted the couple to the good doctor's examination room.
"Dr. Patterson will be with you two soon," said the nurse, adjusting her square frame. Then, she closed the door on them, leaving the two alone. Élise made herself comfortable after Spencer helped her easily sit on the plush table and removed her flats.
Élise dug through her favorite Michael Kors tote bag for her emergency pack of organic low-in-sugar gummy worms—one of her pregnancy snacks. "I can't believe we're through pregnancy again."
Spencer held his hand out, wanting a gummy worm, and Élise gave him two. "I know. I know. Just give this pregnancy another four to five months, and we'll have our son and/or daughter." He did the math and estimated that the baby would be born in March.
Élise had another one. "Repeat after me: this baby will be our last baby."
"This baby will be our last baby," he repeated after her just as Dr. Patterson came into the office. "Nice seeing you again, Dr. Patterson."
Dr. Patterson grinned. The doctor moved a lock of her hair behind her ears; now, her hair grew down into a lob with side bangs. Based on how it's styled, it made her hair look lighter than it appeared to be and more definite. "How is everyone? How's the little one?"
Élise strived to relax her, knowing Dr. Patterson would start examining her, and twinged her fingers. "We're good for now."
"You're in the second trimester." Dr. Patterson cheered. "Kudos to you both."
Élise inhaled and exhaled deeply, still trying to relax and be at ease with her mind. "Oh, thanks, doc, because I've said this a dozen times maybe, and I'm going to say it again…as much as I love not having to deal with my monthly friend, this is my last pregnancy."
"I understand," Dr. Patterson sympathized while getting out an automatic, cuff-style, upper arm monitor, strapped it to Élise's right biceps, and took her blood pressure. "Totally understandable."
Dr. Patterson was to Élise's right, in front of the über-advanced ultrasound machine, about to carry out the echocardiography, as Spencer was to his wife's left, holding her hand. Protecting Élise's clothing, she applied the gel over her lower abdomen, selected the probe, and preset it to Élise's gestational age and BMI. Holding the probe with her right hand, she operated the machine controls with her left.
"Ah…" A wide smile appeared on Dr. Patterson's face. "Lookie at your baby…"
Élise melted at the sight of her and Spencer's unborn baby. "Hey, kiddo."
"How's their heartbeat?" asked Spencer while happy at seeing the baby.
Dr. Patterson slid the probe up towards the maternal umbilicus to identify the fetal heart and heartbeat. "Good heartbeat. Baby's lookin' well." Élise had another sigh of relief, as did Spencer.
Sitting in a cherry wooden chair, Ms. de la Cruz gathered the preschoolers around in a small circle and used a guitar pick to stroke it through the classical-styled guitar. "I just thought I'd teach you all an old folk song I learned in my youth called "La Bamba."
Ms. Vargas clapped her hands. "Let's cantar along, clase. Cantar means to sing, so let's sing alone!"
"And if you can't the words, that's okay. You can just enjoy the music," Ms. de la Cruz stopped for a second and started again.
"Para bailar La Bamba. Para bailar La Bamba. Se necesita una poca de gracia. Una poca de gracia."
Garcia announced to the team that there was a poison gas attack on a City Link commuter bus in Los Angeles and less than a dozen victims were declared dead. From what they know so far, hazmat is at the scene; residents near the attack were evacuated, the mayor's office and LAPD issued a citywide tactical alert, and the police chief delivered a press conference to the public.
From what they know now, lab results confirmed it to be sarin gas. According to Spencer, it's a nerve agent so potent and volatile that when encountered, the symptoms are within seconds and fatal within minutes. Upon finding a homemade time-release device at the crime scene, Spencer estimated that based on the slot, it must have been six weeks that the unsub waited for the gas to be released.
After her speech at the Justice Department Event in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Élise sat back in the backseat of her dark window-tinted Suburban on her way to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leadership Luncheon in downtown D.C. She was on her work tablet, going over her speech one more time to make sure it was perfect and error-free.
Élise heard her work phone vibrating in her tote bag. Glancing at the caller ID, she saw Hotch calling her. She slid her thumb to accept the call. "Any new developments, Hotch?"
"Garcia ran a check on chemists and other potentials in the city, and we have two suspects. The first one sounds more promising—Johann Geitman." Élise is sent a photo of the first suspect by the unit chief. "He was fired from Holder Industries two months ago for online gambling during work."
"He posted a retaliated rant on social media," Élise read what she was given. "Okay. And the second suspect?" Another photographer came on her tablet, along with surveillance footage near areas where the City Link stops.
"Charles Senarak—lives in Simi Valley and works at Banning Medical Supply. A frequent commuter on the City Link but didn't ride this morning," Élise stroked his chin. From what her gut was telling her, she didn't think much about him but still didn't want any chances to be at risk. "Still, Sherlock Holmes via Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." Make sure he's checked out."
"Lewis and Rossi are already on it."
Élise sighed. "Good. Keep me posted." She ended the call.
Mrs. Ortega and Ms. Reyes rearranged some detachable colorful shapes on the whiteboard and turned to face the pre-kindergarteners again. "So, clase, who wants to come up to the board and point out the squares and rectangles? They smiled when their small hands rocketed up in the air.
"Séraphine and BJ." The older teacher picked the two young students, and they skipped over to the board. "Séraphine, you do the squares, and BJ, you do the rectangles."
"In español, clase, a square is a cuadradoand a rectangle is a rectángulo. Cua-dra-do. Rec-tán-gu-lo. Repeat after me."
"Cua-dra-do. Rec-tán-gu-lo."
Mrs. Ortega gave the class a thumbs up. "¡Muy bien!"
The team could officially cross Johann Geitman from their suspect list after he was found murdered from a single gunshot wound to the head, but according to the M.E., he was killed the day before yesterday.
After theorizing that Geitman was killed after selling the extra secret sarin stockpiles his former employer had and realizing a larger-scale attack for what's about to happen next, the team delivered the profile.
In her office, Élise watched a live press conference of Spencer and Tara in Los Angeles regarding the recent sarin attack now being considered as a small-scale act of domestic terrorism.
"We believe a chemist named Johann Geitman provided the sarin in the recent attack."
"Gitman may have been a supplier working on his own, or he may have been a part of a partnership that sourced."
She turned off her work phone. It was barely the afternoon on the East Coast, and she could feel a headache creeping up. "Small or not, whoever's involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
She switched her phone on again to dial the President. "Mr. President."
Another job well done for the team. They managed to stop an attempted attack on the federal building; no one else got hurt or killed; and lastly, they didn't give the unsub—Mitchell Crossford—the satisfaction of watching the second attack go down. The nearby television screens showed footage of the President and the Attorney Generals, especially Élise, at a press conference about the aftermath.
The team finished packing up and is ready to go back to D.C.
"Have I told you all how much I hate Los Angeles?" asked Rossi, zipping his bags.
Morgan joked, his bag strap on his shoulder. "Mmm…about a dozen times."
"And I'm never gonna stop sayin' it," Rossi replied just as Agent Natalie Colfax approached the team, ready to leave the field office.
"I can't thank you all enough for your hard work."
Tara asked, after watching the second suspect, Charles Senarak, reunite with his wife and daughter before he was led away by one of LA Bureau's agents. "So, what's going to happen to Charles?"
"At best, involuntary manslaughter at best along with disposal of a body, so…"
Tara sighed. "I feel for him—to find out your spouse is cheating on you and then…" she stopped. "Still, we were glad to be of assistance."
"Now, it's time for us to get the hell out of LA."
Everyone couldn't agree with that more, especially Spencer.
A/N: See you until the next chapter!