A/N: Hello again, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter. We're still in December, meaning the chapter will be picked up from the very last moment of the previous chapter. Get ready!

Diana's small blue eyes expanded, and her mouth fell slightly open. She was trying to get some words out but just couldn't right now, and she had an incredulous stare on her face.

"W-What?" she finally goes a word out.

Spencer repeated it a little bit louder. "I…want you…to come to D.C. with me. After the holiday seasons."

Diana is taken aback; now, a hand is over her chest. "Spencer…I-I don't…"

"Look, I don't blame you if you don't want to move…but…everyone is suggesting it. That way, you can be closer to me, Diana, and the kids. I don't have to…fly back and forth to see you as much as I usually do."

Diana turned her head away, now glazing at the carpeted flooring, and bit down hard on her bottom lip with her index fingernail in between her teeth. "Honey…this is a lot to consider."

"So, will you consider it?" Spencer's eyes pleaded, hoping she would say yes to moving.

The good news for Élise was that the Libertad Cartel network was dissolved entirely, and the BAU and NSA/DEA joint task force managed to uncover the head's online component. The bad news was that not only were its competitors stepping in (meaning more are still on the loose), but someone high up in a federal government agency was responsible.

News like this often pissed Élise off—someone on the good side took advantage of the people's trust and went over to the dark side. And for what? Money? Power? Influence? More respect? People like them make people lose faith in those they are supposed to protect.

At least he was caught and could talk one of these days. But it wasn't any closer to finding out who was after Garcia.

Élise quietly enjoyed a video of Alexander's first crawl just before she left for work this morning and another one of him crawling at least two hours before her flight to London. Eyeing away from the screen, she watched her security detail (FBI, London office for when she lands and Secret Service) minding their own business.

Regarding Graff's murder, Élise called in connections and friends in high places, such as the President, for protection while she's here in London and at home and to ensure maximum-level safety for the kids, Rose, Opal, and even Spencer. At the same time, she's gone—same for when going to Las Vegas later in the month for the holidays.

Élise hasn't heard anything from Spencer yet, at least not for the past few hours after she sent the videos of Alexander crawling. She hoped Diana would agree to it, but then again, what if she didn't?

Spencer waited for John and Anna to talk about his mother in Ethel and Gordon's homey-styled living room with his father. He was completing another book about the new science diet of an Alzheimer's patient when he heard the front door unlock.

"Spence!" John and Anna strolled in, along with Ethel and Gordon, carrying a tray of non-alcoholic refreshments on a wooden tray into the room.

Spencer and William stood up. Anna asked. "So, what's the big news?"

"I finally asked my mom if she wanted to move to D.C. after the holidays."

"And…?" John opens his hands, itching for more to happen; he doesn't want to be kept in suspense, and he is sure Anna nor their parents want to.

Spencer's face formed a wide grin. "She said 'yes'."

"Yes."

Spencer's face sparkled; on the inside, he was doing a victory dance and jumping up and down like an energic little kid. "You'll move closer?"

Diana reached out and retook her son's hands. "If I'm going to spend my time hoping I get the chance to gain new memories of everyone, and with the memories I still have, it'll be with you and my grandchildren."

With great elation and euphoria, Spencer threw his arms around his mother and embraced her.

"Amen! Hallelujah!"

Everyone in the Carney household was in high spirits and exhilarated with cheers. John held his arms up in a victorious V stance and whooped; Ethel almost fell to her knees, and Anna and Gordon embraced one another. "Praise the Lord!"

Once Ethel regained her composure, flapping her hands towards her face and allowing the flush on her face to die down a bit, she offered everyone beverages and raised hers. "I'd like to propose a toast—for Diana."

Everyone else clinked their glasses heartfully.

Élise never gets tired of staying in hotel suites. Sometimes, looking at one online makes her want to remodel—why not? It's been a while since they decorated the house other than for the holidays.

Her suite was refined yet contemporary, with a classic color palette of creams and gold. It included a separate dining area with curved walls, a circular mahogany table, and a private furnished terrace. Fresh flowers gave the suite elegance, and natural lighting brightened the room.

After landing in London from Heathrow Airport and driven to Claridge's, for the next two hours, a jetlagged Élise propped herself in the emperor-sized bed in the white monogrammed bathrobe with gold pining and the embroidered emblem with customized EGB initials on the breast and slippers.

She looked at the time, and it was one in the afternoon. Based on the time difference between here and D.C., it would be eight in the morning in D.C. and five in Las Vegas. She had already called the kids an hour ago, knowing they'd behave towards Rose and not give her too much trouble while their parents were gone. If they were good, she'd bring them a souvenir or two.

Rose has been nothing but a good help, especially since Spencer's been out of town tending to his mother and Élise's occasional traveling. Élise and Spencer needed to do something big for her as an appreciation for all her help. But what?

But until then, what could she do? She stared at her phone, tempting to call Spencer, but ultimately decided against it—wait another couple of hours until she did. She booked a spa appointment along with afternoon tea for tomorrow. She could always go shopping tomorrow after her meetings. Élise snapped her fingers and unlocked her iPad—researching nursing homes in D.C. for Diana.

Spencer sat in the kitchen, having breakfast with his father, when he heard his cell phone. He smiled as he answered and put the phone on speaker. "Afternoon, honey."

"Hey, babe," said Élise. "How are you?"

"We're good, thanks," William replied, hoping Élise heard him clearly. "How is it in London?"

Élise answered, "Believe it or not, I haven't seen any rain yet, and the city's known for rainy days for about a third of the year. But so far, it's good that our girl is getting stronger by the day. Did you get the links I sent you?"

"I did, yes," Spencer cleaned his mouth before he answered. "I liked three of them—Greenleaf Center, Brookfield, and Sterley Home."

"I like them, too, so when I get back this weekend, I'll make an appointment to see Brookfield's facilities—they're highly rated for their care services, staff & hospitality, management, and safety with schizophrenia and Alzheimer's."

"Okay. I'll call home later and talk to the kids," Spencer promised.

Élise said, "Okay. I love you."

"I love you and our unborn little girl," Spencer said right back before he hung up and sighed. "We're really doing this."

William cleaned his mouth with his napkin and replied, "You know, I've been thinking something, Spence."

"What?"

William takes his and Spencer's plate and announces, "What if I also move to D.C. with you?"

Spencer jerked his head back. "You wanna move to D.C. with us, too?"

"Why not?" William replied, turning on the faucet and washing the dishes by squeezing Dawn Liquid Soap. "You have an unpredictable work schedule; Élise has an unpredictable one. I'm semi-retired, and…I, too, want to spend more time with my grandchildren. Plus, you need an extra set of hands around the house; give your nanny Rose a break or two now and then."

Spencer reposed his knuckled hand on his cheek. "True. But what about your house?"

William turned the faucet off. "I can always sell the house, but at the same time, I can always rent so that way you, Élise, and the kids will always have a place to stay." Spencer shrugged his shoulders, agreeing to it. "What do you think?"

Spencer gulped a sip of coffee. "You have some good pointers, yeah. And we do have an extra spare room in the basement where Rose stays, so…"

"Think Élise will like it?"

"I love the idea!" said Élise over her two-way Skype conversation while getting ready for bed, with her still having her robe on. "Of course, William can move in with us."

Spencer asked again, "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"We can always use an extra set of hands," Élise used a micellar water-infused pad on her face to cleanse her face. "Plus, I've always wanted to do something with one of the extra rooms in the basement—one of them could be his."

"So, are the holidays, we can go furniture shopping?"

Élise chuckled. "Babe, any kind of shopping is good with me."

Spencer propped himself up on the bed in the guest room, reading the 36-Hour Day, a go-to guidebook on the disease, written by two profound experts with stacks of books on the subject surrounding him, both on and around the bed. Focused on his reading, he was startled when he heard his cell vibrating by his mismatched footed sock.

He reached out and checked to see who called him. When he saw Rossi's number, his eyebrows lowered, and his lips pursed out. Still, he accepted the call. "Hey, Dave…"

"Hey, kid," Rossi greeted him. "Look, I know you're on personal leave, but the team is working on a case in Florida right now, and I need to pick your brain."

Spencer shut his book (he knew the page number of where he left off) and accepted the challenge. "What's happening?"

Rossi explained the case. "Long story short: three victims—one female and two males—from different backgrounds and lifestyles were abducted, dumped, and found in a remote wooded area. One of them was exsanguinated, and the other had hypertension and Parkinson's, but a piece of his calf muscle was cut post-mortem. But that's where it gets strange from what the ME found in the male victim."

"What?"

"Mes-o-glea and Test-u-din-ata keratin." Rossi hoped he pronounced it right.

Spencer lifted an eyebrow now. "Jellyfish and turtle DNA were found in the first male victim?"

Rossi replied, "Yeah, along with sea urchins and a tropical parrot called the scarlet macaw. From what I've been reading, jellyfish have been used to treat cardiovascular disease but not Parkinson's."

Spencer's mind did its thing. "Well, from what you're telling me, the jellyfish the ME must have found was the territopsis dohrnii."

Rossi sounded confused. "Turri…?"

"I-I-It's also known as the immortal jellyfish—known for endlessly recycling its cells through a process called transdifferentiation, which is the conversion of one cell type to another."

Rossi simplified. "Lineage reprograming."

"Yeah, you can say that. It hopes it helps."

Rossi sighed. "I hope so, too. See you when you get back."

Spencer cried before Rossi could hang up. "Wait, Rossi! Have you been doing research while I was gone?"

"Don't get too flattered, kid," Rossi joked before he hung up. "You're still the brains of the team."

So far, Élise's trip to London has been going well. She received a double standing ovation during her roundtable meeting with the UK's Home Secretary on Human Trafficking and her keynote address on counterterrorism and international cooperation. She received positive comments about her wardrobe choices, especially since the nation's Princess Catherine has been seen wearing the same clothes, but Élise insisted that she always had them.

Now Élise was enjoying afternoon tea at Claridge's Foyer & Reading Room at a table with an old classmate from Harvard Law. There was a selection of handmade and traditional sandwiches, scorns, and pastries. Music drifted from the grand piano.

"Mmm…" Élise licked the tea of her hot herbal tea after she had a lick. "I wish I could have afternoon tea every day of the week and twice on Sunday, Isla."

Isla—a petite woman with dark blonde hair in a peach-color dress—laughed lightly. "Afternoon tea is in my blood, Élise."

Élise moved some of her hairlocks behind her ears. "You still have that lovely British accent, I see."

"Indeed," she took a bite of her cucumber sandwich. "So, how long are you staying in London?"

Élise answered after she had a scone. "I leave the day after tomorrow."

"Well, what else do you plan on doing?" Isla tasted her green tea.

"Attend to the rest of my occasions and some sightseeing."

Isla made a small smile. "I hope one of them is shopping."

Élise lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "Don't insult me," the two chuckled and toasted.

"Hey, let's not make it too decorative," said Spencer when William was about to put some ribbon and candy cane on the Christmas tree.

The artificial tree William had kept in the garage was almost the same height as Spencer—six feet. The skirt was red with white and gold trimming, and underneath the tree were wrapped presents adorned with Brite decorations.

"I think it's decorated enough," said Spencer.

William agreed with his son and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, true." He rolled his neck around and sighed. "Remind me that after the holidays to hire a cleaning service. I know some associates with friends and acquaintances who will be staying in the city for a while and need a place to stay. I mean, think about how much I could make a month."

"What would you do with the extra money?"

William packed up some extra decorations in a board box. "I have my retirement package planned out, and I don't spend as much as I did when I was a young adult, so I should be good, but I want to use the extra money to put into a trust for the kids."

"Really?"

William smiled as he carried the box back to the garage. "Why not?"

As much as Élise loved London, it was time for her to head back to D.C. She hoped to return someday, but not anytime soon since Élise was about to reach the stage (six months) where she could not travel internationally while pregnant.

"Mommy-mommy-mommy!" Isaac cried.

Élise had Alexander on her lap before she sat him down on the carpeted floor in the living room. "What's up?"

"When's Daddy coming home?" asked Séraphine as she placed an ornament on the six-foot Christmas tree in the corner.

Isaac moved his shoulders. "Yeah, I misss 'im…"

"Hopefully soon," Élise gave them an honest answer. "He's still sorting some things out with Grandma Diana and speaking of Grandma Diana…"

Séraphine and Isaac jumped on the couch between them. "Did something happen to Grandma Diana?"

Élise sighed momentarily as she got off the couch, scooped up a crawling and babbling Alexander, and sat right between her oldest kids. "How would you all feel if Grandma Diana moved closer to us?"

The toddlers' faces lit up like fireworks. "Really? She is? Is she coming to leave with us?" Now, the two were getting a little too eager to ask her many questions about it.

"Whoooah," Élise waved her hands down, trying to quiet them down. "Let's slow down there for a minute. Yes, she'll move closer to us but won't live with us."

"Oh."

Élise replied again, "But that means we'll be seeing more of Grandma…"

"Yay!"

As promised, Élise did her online research on Brookfield before she booked an appointment to see their facilities. When she arrived, she was personally greeted by the executive director Michi Kaneko-Simon, a tallish woman with perfectly straight, shiny black hair and attired in a black pantsuit, and Linus Herman, the Board of Directors President—he's about the same height as Ms. Kaneko-Simon and dressed in a three-piece suit and shiny loafers.

They took her on a tour of their facilities, including the gardens. Brookfield definitely reminded Élise of Bennington, except it seemed a bit bigger and had more of an old-money estate vibe. Yet the warm color tone palette gave the mental institution a more cozy, homey ambiance.

Doctors Kaneko-Simon and Herman explained how Brookfield worked with various hospitals around the area, including John Hopkins and Georgetown University. While donors fund Brookfield, most of its funds are donated by a local billionaire who wishes to remain anonymous.

She's shown Diana's room if she were to accept it. It had only a full-sized bed, a solid wood dresser, a large bookshelf, a desk, and a small square window with heavy light-locking curtains. The walls were a calming light blue paint color and cream fiber carpeting. It was quaint and minimal.

"How was Brookfield?" asked Spencer over the phone with Élise. "Was it what you expected?"

"It was, yeah," said Élise as she was getting ready for bed after she got the kids in bed. Their flight to Las Vegas for the remainder of the holiday season was at ten in the morning (Rose will be spending the holidays with her family on the East Coast), and they had to drop off Opal at Maeve and Bobby's place. "Out of all the three I saw, I like Brookfield the most, and I think your mom would like it there, too."

Spencer asked again, "So, you think we should put her in Brookfield?"

"Uh-huh… they're even willing to wait until after the holidays for an answer."

Spencer exhaled a long sigh. "We're really doing this…"

"It's for your mom, babe. It's for her own good."

"Fee! Ziggy! Are you ready?" Élise cried from the foyer while carrying Alexander in her arms. The oldest children were upstairs, and Rose loaded up the luggage in the Suburban.

"Yes, Mama!"

Rose came out from outside—her brown faux fur puffer coat protected her from the thrashing windy chills and blew a sigh. "Everything is packed and ready to go." She said, thumb pointing outside just as Séraphine and Isaac's scattering footsteps descended from the stairs.

"We're ready!"

Rose opened the front door, and Élise allowed the kids to run outside and into the Suburban. "Careful, so you don't trip on yourself." Élise went on the app and turned on the security cameras and alarms. "Rose?" She stopped her while the two were still on the porch steps.

"Yeah, Élise?"

Élise had her hold Alexander for a moment while she poked around her tote bag. Then, she pulled out a holiday-themed envelope and passed it to her. "A Christmas present…and bonus?"

Rose passed her Alexander and used her index finger to open the envelope. She drew open a small rectangular paper, and her mouth dropped. "This is a check for 10 grand", she said.

Élise strapped in the kids, Alexander first. "Spence and I wanted to do something special for you to thank you for your help."

"Y-Y-You didn't have to do this…"

"With everything you've been doing for us, especially Spencer spending his time off taking care of his mother and my recent overseas/occasional traveling, this was the very least we could do for you."

Speechless, Rose threw her arms around Élise. "Thank you so much."

As expected after dropping Opal at the Donovan-Putnam, while Rose went to the East Coast, Élise and the kids arrived in Las Vegas a little after noon. They met up on the tarmac with hugs and kisses before William drove them back to his place.

"Who's ready for Santa Claus, huh?" William bounced with each step he took, carrying Christmas-themed cookies and warm milk on a tray and setting it down on the coffee table.

Séraphine, Isaac, and Alexander (with Spencer holding his hand for his younger son) all had their hands up. "Me-me-me!"

William asked as he passed the kids a cup and a cookie. "What do you kids want for Christmas?"

"I want my sister!" Séraphine declared.

Isaac answered with a mouthful, "I want a piano…"

Alexander babbled before Spencer fed him a bottle on his lap. "I take it he wants to grow up…" his joke made the adults chuckle.

"So, kids," William sat on the opposite side in an armchair. "I have something I want to share with you…"

"Yes, Grandpa…?"

William looked at Spencer, Élise, and the kids and announced, "I'm gonna be moving in with you…"

"You are?" Séraphine got so excited she almost spilled her milk on the couch and floor. "When-when-when?"

"Hopefully, sometime after the holidays…" William answered truthfully.

Séraphine asked again, "When are we going to see Grandma Diana?"

Élise bounced Alexander on her knees. "You're just chuck full of questions, huh, Fee?"

Spencer and Élise (in a wig disguise) took the kids around the Las Vegas area, starting with the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. As anticipated, last-minute shoppers bustled, and loud, indistinct conversation and Christmas-themed music (like Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You) blasted through the speakers.

"Whoa…" the centerpiece of the winter display is this forty-something white fir tree with all these shiny ornaments and bright lights.

"Mommy, look!" Séraphine pointed to the giant polar bear display. "I want something like that for Christmas."

Élise massaged her palm. "Oh, Fee. You have so many at home…"

Spencer pointed at the fourteen-foot toy soldiers. "See that, Alexei? Those are toy soldiers," he laughed when he gripped them. "And now I see you want them."

The following day, as promised, Spencer and Élise met up with John and Melissa at AMC Town Square 18 and took the kids to see Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip.

"Did you kids enjoy the movie?" Melissa asked.

Sabrina giggled. "It was great…"

Séraphine held Spencer's hand and looked up to him. "Simon sounded a lot like Daddy…"

"Yeah, I do sound a lot like him, don't I?" Spencer impersonated Simon, and everyone laughed.

The Carney and Bastien-Reid families went back to Anna and Nathan to pick up their respective sons. "Hey, little man…" Élise coaxed Alexander from Anna's arms and started smooching his cheeks. "Were you good for Anna and Nathan?"

"Yes, he was, Lise…" Nathan answered, carrying his own son. "Thanks for letting us look after him."

Anna asked, "Do you want to come inside for a little bit? I made chicken parmesan with linguine and garlic bread."

Séraphine and Isaac threw their hands up. "Me-me-me-me-me!"

"Well, I'm craving for some chicken anyway, so okay."

"Whoa-whoa!" Séraphine cried, sitting on the saddle on the Shetland pony with Spencer by her side.

"I'm right here, Fee," Spencer assured his daughter that she wasn't falling off. "I'm right here; you're not gonna fall off."

Isaac threw his cowboy hat off and called out, "Yee-haw! Giddy-up!"

Ethel laughed with amusement. "Looks like someone getting into the spirit of being a cowboy."

Gordon was outside the fencer center with Élise and Alexander in a carrier. "Ziggy reminds me a lot of Spencer when he was his age."

Élise laughed heartily, patting Alexander's head. "Now that I can see."

Spencer and Élise took the kids to see Diana at Bennington. After some hugs and kisses, Spencer wanted to talk to her about moving to D.C. by himself, and Élise took the kids to the cafeteria to get something to eat and give them some time to themselves.

Spencer showed his mother the photos of Brookfield Élise printed from the website. "Oh…mmm…" Diana bit on her fingernail.

"See, Mom?" Spencer hoped his mother would take a liking. "When you think of it, it's almost like Bennington. Except you won't always have to deal with the desert weather and temperatures."

Diana replied, "And I have to deal with low temperatures and the government watching me!" she hissed loudly on those last four words.

At least Spencer was okay with the fact that she still remembered her occasional dislike for the government. "Mom, I promise you, no one in our government is coming after you."

Diana folded her arms. "Uh-huh," she glanced at the photos of Brookfield again. "Well, this does look like a nice place."

"So, you'll consider it?"

Diana gave him a sly smile. "Anything for you, baby, I'd try anything."

Spencer smiled widely. "Thanks, mom…"

Diana held her finger up. "On some conditions."

"Anything, Mom."

Diana bargained, "You, Élise, and the kids come and see me at least once or twice a month."

Spencer agreed to that. "I can do that."

"Keep the government off my back!" Diana waved her balled fist in front of him. Then she sighed and calmed herself down. "And lastly, never let me forget about any of you, no matter what."

Spencer shook his head at all the conditions.

Diana was allowed to attend the holiday party at Ethel and Gordon's house. In the corner of the living room was the Christmas tree with the angel on top, along with everyone's stocking (there was even a stocking for William at the very end) hanging over the fireplace. String garlands hung around the house, along with the wooden creche.

The house smelled festively of cinnamon and peppermint (the candle sticks provided the scent), and the potluck dinner at the table included roast chicken, mashed potatoes, pie and cake, and gingerbread cookies.

Ethel clicked on her flute glass (of sparkling apple cider—she'd never really liked any kind of alcohol) and held her glass up, following the rest of the family members who either had that hot chocolate, sparkling water, or classic eggnog.

"I'd like to propose a toast. 2015 will be ending, and we will move on to 2016. Here's to new blessings, challenges, prayers, and celebrations. It has been said that every ending is a new beginning. Merry Christmas to you all, and here's to 2016."

"2016!"