Not long after the camping trip ended, Blake took her first trip up to Harvard to spend time with her husband. Jessica was very interested in this news. "Do you and James have a house up in Cambridge now?"

"James is living in an apartment for the moment, but we might look into getting a house."

"I wonder if my old house is up for sale. It'd be cool if you guys ended up in that neighborhood."

"I thought you were from Boston," Blake responded, confused.

"I just say that because it's simpler and more people know where that is," Jessica clarified. "Technically, I grew up in Cambridge. I probably know my way around Harvard better than James does."

"Did your parents work at Harvard?" Blake asked curiously.

"No, Mom was a social worker for kids with disabilities and Dad did something involving aeronautics. The details kind of flew over my head…no pun intended."

"Did your mom become a social worker before or after you lost your hearing?"

"After, I think. And I'm pretty sure Dad's job was somehow connected to MIT. Spencer did his PhD in engineering there and all the while we had no idea…"

"Is it possible their paths might have crossed without their knowing?" Blake wondered.

"Spencer has seen photos of Dad, and he says he's pretty sure they passed in the street a few times. They never spoke, though."

Blake laughed. "I should have realized Spencer would actually remember such things."

"The bad news: if you do something embarrassing in front of Spencer, he will never forget it. The good news: if you ask him never to mention it again, he won't."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Speaking from experience?"

"I'll never tell and neither will Spencer." Jessica put down her phone, amused. For the moment, she honestly couldn't remember any time she'd embarrassed herself in front of Spencer, and she had no intention of asking him to remind her.

Spencer and Maeve did not do much with their summer, since Maeve wanted to stay close to her mother. Thankfully, the treatment was beginning to show some—small—signs of progress. As for Jessica, she found another summer job at an animal shelter.

After months of pulling double duty, Hotch was apparently in the running to take over Strauss's job permanently. Reid and JJ wound up discussing the subject.

"Look, I'm sure it's been hard for him on the road," JJ commented. "He's not going to admit it, but a desk job would be easier on Jack."

"He'll suffocate," Reid objected.

"You don't get it," JJ sighed.

"I have a kid too, remember?" Reid pointed out.

"It's different when they're young," JJ insisted. "By the time you adopted Jessica, she was old enough to spend time on her own. Old enough to understand why you weren't always there at bedtime. Henry…sometimes, he asks me how long I'll be gone, and I can see how disappointed he is when I have to say I don't know. On some level, he knows I'm doing something important, but he's still a little boy who wants his mommy."

Reid swallowed. "Jessica and I once had a conversation where she asked if I would quit for her sake. I told her I'd be willing to, but I asked her to take some time to consider my perspective too. A few days later, she changed her mind and gave me her blessing to stay with the BAU, but…I could tell she still wasn't happy about it. I thought I meant it when I said I'd consider it for her, but…maybe I was just saying that to make us both feel better."

"It's not just us BAU agents who make sacrifices for this job," JJ said softly. "Our families do too. And Jack has sacrificed a lot already."

Before Reid could respond, a local officer walked up with the ME's report. Reid returned most of his attention to the case, but in the back of his mind, he still wondered if he was being selfish for working in the BAU.

After seeing Carla Hines' plans for her two sons, Spencer felt a bit better about himself as a parent…but on the other hand, clearing such a low bar wasn't saying much, so he still resolved to talk to Jessica when he got home. Maeve was visiting her mother again, so Jessica (and their very sleepy cat) were alone.

"So…long lost identical twin killers," Jessica commented. "Would you say that's one of the stranger cases you've worked?"

"Definitely," Spencer agreed. He gave her a curious look. "You don't usually take an interest."

"Jeffrey does, and your case is all over the internet. He was going on about it all afternoon."

"So, you're not really interested in my work," Spencer signed, slightly disappointed.

"If you ever want to talk about it, you know I'm willing to listen. Some of your cases do sound interesting to me, but…I definitely wouldn't want serial killers to be the focus of my life."

Spencer sighed and sat down next to her. "That conversation we had, after I was poisoned…when you told me to go back to work, did you really mean it, or were you just saying it for my sake?"

Jessica grimaced, and she took a few moments to think about her answer. "At first, I was just saying it for your sake…but then I met Jeffrey, and he was raving about what a hero you were to him and his dad, and…until then, I don't think I had truly appreciated what you do. All I saw was how you kept getting hurt. But meeting Jeffrey helped me to really see the good that you do. I still don't like worrying over whether your next case will be your last, but I'd feel downright selfish if I asked you to quit again."

Spencer let out a surprised laugh. "And here I was starting to worry that I was the selfish one for not quitting when you asked."

"Hey, you never asked to be responsible for me," Jessica pointed out. "It wasn't even a question of you not being careful; you ended up adopting me because of an accident that you could not possibly have foreseen or prevented. You've already given up a lot for my sake, and I don't think it would be fair to expect you to give up your career too. You deserve a life of your own."

"You deserve a parent who's around when you need him," Spencer argued.

Jessica gave him a very serious look. "Spencer, you are allowed to want things for yourself. There is a middle ground between thinking the world revolves around you and thinking you're obligated to make your life revolve around everyone else. Sure, you probably could do more for me, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you should. I'm fine; don't feel guilty about living your own life."

"If you're sure," Spencer signed uncertainly.

Jessica sighed. "Okay, look at it this way: back when you were shot, what would you have said if I claimed I felt bad for going to school instead of staying home to be your full-time caretaker?"

"Your school is important; you shouldn't give that up for my sake," Spencer signed indignantly.

"Exactly! Now let yourself be on the other side of that argument. You are no less important than I am!"

Spencer froze, taken aback. A part of him wanted to instinctively insist that Jessica was wrong, that she was more important than him, but he did see her point. "…I guess I do struggle with self-esteem," he admitted.

"Yeah. I've noticed." Jessica gave him a thoughtful look. "How about this: try to treat yourself with as much self-respect as you would want me to show myself. Do you think you can do that?"

Spencer swallowed. "Yes. I can do that."

"Good." Jessica stood up and headed into the kitchen, waking Bianca. The cat padded over to Spencer and nuzzled him, purring loudly. Logically, Spencer knew that Bianca hadn't understood a word of their conversation, but…it did feel strangely as if Bianca was also trying to build up his self-worth. He petted her, and she purred louder.

"Thank goodness Spencer finally got a case this week," Maeve commented after exiting the car. "I was starting to worry I wouldn't have a chance to set up his present."

Jessica gave her a worried look. "Is this something for which I shouldn't be home either?"

"No, not that kind of present," Maeve hastily assured (though she wasn't ruling out the possibility). "But I want to shake things up and do something he won't expect. So, I've decided to set up a little scavenger hunt for him."

"A scavenger hunt for what?" Jessica asked, now interested. She hit the 'up' button for the elevator.

"These," Maeve explained. She opened her purse and took out a small pile of post-it notes, each one containing a scientific formula with a single letter in bold.

Jessica quickly rifled through the formulae, then realization dawned. "You're spelling out 'happy birthday'."

"Exactly," Maeve confirmed as the elevator doors opened. "And now I need to find places to hide these where he won't notice them until he starts looking."

"And where Bianca won't mess with them either," Jessica pointed out. She hit the button for the fourth floor.

Maeve frowned. "Shoot. I didn't even think of that."

"I'll help," Jessica offered. "Maybe we could try sticking them inside various books? I don't know why he buys so many when he can't not memorize them in a single reading."

Maeve considered this new possibility. "And maybe we could stick the last one in one of your books instead, just to really throw him off."

"This is going to be fun," Jessica concluded. She took out her key and unlocked the apartment. Bianca greeted them at the door, and Jessica scooped up the cat before she could object to Maeve's presence.

Once Spencer got home from Dallas, Maeve made sure to keep his attention off books until Saturday morning. Spencer greatly enjoyed the scavenger hunt, but the women hadn't reckoned with his uncanny attention to detail; a single glance into Jessica's room had showed him that one of her books was pushed slightly farther in than it had been before, and it was one of the first places he looked. Jessica conceded defeat and added extra icing to his cake.

Upon returning from Baltimore, the team found Jessica in the bullpen with cookies. "Well, hello," Rossi greeted. "Baked goods during the school year?"

Jessica shrugged. "Yes, college is super busy and all, but I have been informed that there is a new section chief." She looked at Cruz. "Are you the new section chief?"

Reid interpreted, to Cruz's faint surprise. "Yes, I am," he confirmed. "And…you are…?"

"This is my cousin, Jessica," Reid explained. "Jessica, this is Agent C-R-U-Z."

Jessica smiled. "Nice to meet you. Have a cookie."

"Uh…thanks," Cruz said uncertainly. He took a cookie.

Most of the team also grabbed cookies, but Rossi held back. "I don't remember you ever bringing cookies for Strauss," he commented.

Jessica winced. "Yeah, that's kind of why I'm here now. In all the time that she was your section chief, I can't recall ever actually meeting Strauss, and I feel a bit bad about that. If anything happens to the new guy, I want to be able to say that I've at least met him…although preferably nothing happens to the new guy anyway."

"Preferably," Rossi agreed. He finally took a cookie.

Jessica took a cookie for herself and took a big bite. Then she froze, realizing what she'd just said. Given past precedent, she really hoped she hadn't just jinxed the new unit chief.

"Guess what?" Mateo texted.

"What?" Jessica responded.

"Boston is going to the World Series this year."

"…you know, you could just ASK to come over and use our TV again."

"Come on, you're a Bostonian! They don't even get one little 'yay' from you?"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Yay. There, I said it. You do realize I only watch baseball when I'm watching with you?"

"Didn't your cousin play in some inter-agency game last year?"

"Okay, I only watch baseball when I'm watching with you, OR when Spencer is playing," Jessica amended.

"They're also playing St Louis again. Complete rematch of the 2004 series where Boston broke their curse."

"Hmm. That was the last year before my family started having issues on February 5th. Maybe if the Red Sox lose, we'll break OUR curse?"

Mateo took nearly a minute to respond to that one. "Okay, I'm leaving this conversation before you start cheering for the Yankees and completely break the universe."

Spencer got home very late that night, and Jessica didn't see him until he got up the next morning. He gave her an odd look as he entered the kitchen. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, why?" Jessica replied.

"You don't appear to have baked anything for Hotch," Spencer observed.

"Not that I have anything against baking for Hotch, but is there a particular reason why you were expecting me to?"

"When someone on the team is hurt, you normally bake for them."

It took a few moments for Jessica to fully process the implications of that statement. "Wait, something happened to Hotch?!"

"He collapsed during the briefing yesterday morning. Apparently, there were lingering complications from when Foyet attacked him."

"Who collapsed?" Maeve asked, putting her empty glass by the sink.

"Hotch," Spencer repeated. "I thought Garcia would have mentioned something yesterday."

Jessica shook her head. "Nope. Not a word. Good thing we were going to go grocery shopping anyway, because I'm pretty sure we're almost out of flour."

Maeve laughed. "You do know that pastries don't actually have medicinal properties?"

Jessica shrugged. "Depends how you define 'medicinal'. If eating it makes you happy, then happy is better, and the food has made you feel better. That's sort of medicinal…and no, Spencer, this is not the part where you recite the dictionary definition of 'medicinal'."

"Well, one definition is 'used to relieve pain', so you're pretty close in that regard," Spencer offered.

"Just so long as you're not about to start putting 'medicinal' marijuana in your cooking," Maeve joked.

"Medicinal marijuana has been legal in Washington, DC since 2009," Spencer pointed out.

"Well, I don't have a prescription, and I like my baking just fine without it, thank you very much," Jessica retorted.

"Meow!" Bianca piped up, pawing at Jessica.

"No, I don't bake with catnip either," Jessica informed the cat. She picked up Bianca and snuggled her.

Maeve stuck her cup in the sink and turned on the faucet. "Anyway, we might as well head to the store soon. I want to pick up a 'get well' card too."

"Sure, just let me have a quick breakfast," Spencer agreed. He grabbed his usual coffee mug out of the cupboard.

The following weekend, Garcia needed an extra pair of hands to help her with shopping. Jessica volunteered, since she had gotten the distinct impression that Spencer and Maeve wanted some time alone and were being too nice to ask. A little more than an hour later, Jessica was staggering under the weight of some hefty grocery bags.

"Okay, just put everything on the counter and I will put it away later," Garcia signed, somewhat awkwardly due to the bags hanging off her arm.

Jessica obeyed. "That is a lot of stuff. I presume that means the party will be good."

"Of course it will, I'm hosting it," Garcia signed flippantly.

"How come you've never done a Day of the Dead party before?"

Garcia glanced at the altar she'd set up. "I don't know. I've never actually had the whole team over before. I'm nervous."

"You shouldn't be. You're awesome at this stuff."

Garcia swallowed. "Thanks. Hey, could you check my refrigerator and see if I have enough hot sauce?"

Jessica frowned. "Isn't that something you should have checked before we went grocery shopping?"

Garcia shrugged. "I forgot."

Jessica sighed. "Okay." She reached for the refrigerator door, then stopped and looked back at Garcia. "Define 'enough'?"

"I don't know, just tell me how much I have."

"Maybe you should check for yourself?"

"But you're closer," Garcia signed with a pout.

Jessica narrowed her eyes, then carefully opened the refrigerator. Moments later, she pulled out a jar of habanero sauce. "You were making me think you had rigged this to explode or something."

Garcia stared, fake blood streaming down from her eyes. "Really?"

"Well, you could have tried holding up a neon sign that said 'prank'?" Jessica suggested. "Although if the jar of eyeballs was supposed to scare me, you picked the wrong target. I don't know how much he shows it at work, but Spencer is definitely a Halloween enthusiast at home. I'm used to finding random Halloween stuff in weird places in October."

"Really? Like what?"

"Well, there was the time I found Bianca trying to eat a fake spider, but I don't think that was where Spencer meant it to go," Jessica recalled, simultaneously amused and annoyed. "At least he avoids choking hazards now."

Garcia shuddered. "Gross. I draw the line at fake spiders. I guess JJ was right, I don't really have a scary side."

Jessica snorted. "Are you kidding me? If I ever got on your bad side, you could probably track me down and/or completely ruin my life, just by pressing a few computer keys. That's plenty scary to me."

Garcia contemplated this. "I guess. But I was trying to be more 'slasher villain' scary."

"Don't you get enough real slasher villains at work?" Jessica complained.

"I refuse to let reality stop me from enjoying good old-fashioned fictional horror," Garcia insisted. At that moment, her phone went off, and she took a quick look at it. "Although apparently it's time for real horror. Got to go, thanks for your help."

"You're welcome."

The week after Halloween, the latest case was driving Garcia to desperate measures. "Hey, do you know any girl named Ashley who likes bunnies?" she asked Jessica. "In Boston, I mean?"

"I used to have a classmate named Ashley, but I didn't know her well enough to say whether she liked bunnies," Jessica replied. "Why?"

Garcia sighed. "Long shot. I can't find this girl."

"Are things going okay in Boston?" Jessica asked worriedly.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a girl when all I have to go on is that her name is Ashley and she likes bunnies?" Garcia complained. "MY DATABASES DO NOT SAY WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE LIKE BUNNIES!"

"Well, compared to past Boston cases, that sounds like a relatively minor problem," Jessica commented.

"True," Garcia conceded. "No archnemeses so far."

"Excellent! And you can enter in your databases that I like bunnies, if that helps."

"I shall note that down at once," Garcia agreed.

"Hey, come out to the Benjamin, drinks are on Rossi tonight!" Garcia invited.

"Uh, you do know I don't turn 21 for another two months?" Jessica pointed out.

"Oh come on, a drink before 21 won't kill you," Garcia cajoled. "Besides, you could just come to hang out with us."

"Okay, well, first of all, I don't really want to drink regardless. Second of all, don't bars check IDs?"

"I had a fake when I was your age," Garcia argued.

"Well, I don't! And even if I did, I wouldn't be stupid enough to use it at a bar full of FBI agents who know I'm underage."

"…point," Garcia finally conceded. "But in other news, your cousin apparently delivered a baby today."

Jessica snorted with laughter. "Oh good, he finally got to put those labor and delivery manuals to use. I think he was a bit disappointed that JJ went into labor when he wasn't there and he memorized all that info for nothing."

"I love how you're not even surprised by this," Garcia commented.

"You've known Spencer even longer than I have. How are YOU surprised by this?"

"I'm pretty sure he's not that kind of doctor."

"No, but if I were to ever have a medical emergency, I figure he'd know enough to keep me stable until the proper doctors show up. And technically, birth is an entirely natural and normal process—not a medical emergency in and of itself."

Garcia considered this. "So, if he and Maeve ever have kids, would he even need to bring her to the hospital?"

"Maybe not, but he probably would anyway just to be safe," Jessica replied. "And don't ask me whether that's an actual possibility right now, because it's not my business to answer."

Garcia smirked. "The fact that you answered a question I didn't ask suggests that the answer is yes."

"Or, it suggests that I know you're nosy and were about to ask that if I hadn't pre-empted you," Jessica countered.

"No I wasn't," Garcia insisted. Even though she was totally lying. She really wanted more godchildren. Which reminded her, JJ had forgotten to set a limit on presents for Henry's birthday this year. She needed to hit the stores…