A/N: Hello again, everyone! I hope you're all doing well and hanging in there—that's all anyone can do. I figure I crank out one more chapter. That is if my writer's block and personal life don't get in the way too much.

Enjoy your holidays for those who celebrate, and have a Happy New Year.

The chapter takes place in mid-May.


"Morning, Mommy!" Séraphine and Isaac waved to their mother when they opened their bedroom door.

Élise was waking up and had just finished yawning for the umpteenth time, so she rolled her neck. "Good morning, pretties…"

As if on cue, Spencer swooned into the bedroom. He came in carrying a wooden tray, and William had Alexander and Éliana in his arms.

"Good morning, Mom…" said Spencer with a smile before he gently placed the bed serving tray on her lap and planted a kiss on her forehead. The tray had two berry pancakes and Belgian waffles, Eggs, Benedicts, a crepe, a cinnamon roll, a tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, and a little porcelain vase with different colored carnations.

"Aww, breakfast in bed!" Élise gushed. "You shouldn't have…"

Séraphine hopped on the bed and sat beside her, almost shaking the tray. "Ziggy and me helped Daddy mix the berries."

"Alexei drizzled the pancakes and waffles." Isaac mentioned as he got on the bed next to Séraphine.

William bounced Éliana. "And Ella Bella enjoyed herself by watching us cooking."

"Zig and me even made these cards for you at school." Séraphine and Isaac handed Élise the handmade Mother's Day cards.

Élise giggled. "Well, thank you, all."

"Whatcha gonna do today, Mommy?"

Élise inhaled. "I'm going to have a little spa day and brunch day, but of course, I'm going to spend my time with everyone."


Élise (disguised in a short black wig) met Maeve at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C. Like any other luxury hotel, the lobby was stunningly beautiful. They made a right past the reception and took the elevator down.

The two mothers strolled into the spa, and there was already a sense of serenity. Whatever weight was on them unexpectedly vanished. The aestheticians royally greeted them and took them to a check-in room, where they took their shoes, brought out forms, and brought out a cup of hot tea.

After receiving a tour of the facilities, their robes, and slippers, they got to the locker rooms.

"Ah, I'll never stop saying I love spa days," said Élise after changing into her robe and slippers. "Every time I have one, I feel like a ray of sunshine."

Maeve chuckled once, "Believe it or not, I wasn't really fond of them at first. My mom and I had a couple when I was in high school, but it wasn't my favorite thing to do. Now, I like having a day spa every now and then."

After they changed, they went to the dimly lit waiting room, where refreshments were available, and decompressed before their treatments began.


Spencer headed to Brookfield to spend time with his own mother.

"Ah, Spencer," Diana and Spencer glanced through one of her antique-looking scrapbooks. "This was the time I graduated from college…" Diana was in the typical graduate studies commencement attire and big hair in that photograph.

Spencer smiled and pointed to another memory. "And this was when I graduated from CalTech." He steered to another photograph. "And remember when you and Dad got married?'

"Oooh…" Diana massaged her temple. "It's a shame I won't remember any of this one day…"

Spencer took ahold of his mother's hand and squeezed it tightly.


"Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are," Spencer crooned Éliana a classic lullaby. "Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are."

Éliana squealed as she took a long yawn as Spencer set her back down in her bassinet. He then kissed his index and middle fingers and gently pressed them against her forehead.

Élise bustled into the bedroom in a cloud of citrus and floral, clasping her gold-studded earrings and gathering up her black leather clutch. As always, Gelila came through for her and decided on the black Céline by Michael Kors gown she had tried on the other day. Her hair hung in a French chignon twist, and her makeup was appropriately nice for the occasion.

Élise stood beside Spencer and watched Éliana drift off into sleep. "Aww, she looks so cute sleeping. I wonder what she's dreaming of…"

"Actually, studies have shown that babies having dreams is debatable due to their lack of cognitive ability to recap, but researchers do believe babies can dream, just not the way we dream. And it can be as early as six months."

Élise made a face. "Mmm…"

The two heard a knock on their door and came a whisper, "The car's is here for you," said William, who poked his head before walking in. "You two go; I got this," he insisted.

Spencer and Élise gave Éliana one last look before they went on their way. "Thanks again, Dad," Spencer embraced his father in a father-son hug.

"Mmm, you two just enjoy yourselves," William replied with a smile before he left their room.


Tonight's State Dinner had more of a twist than the usual. While they typically celebrate a single head of state, tonight's was organized for the U.S.-Nordic summit: the President of Finland and the Prime Ministers of Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

The Northern Lights-inspired décor dinner was held in a tent on the South Lawn of the White House. Élise immediately recognized some of the attendees, such as TV personality Al Roker, James Beard award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson, Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr, the wife of Denzel Washington, and performers Janelle Monae, Tracee Ellis-Ross, Common, and Bellamy Young—for a moment, Spencer and Élise mistook her for Beth, Hotch's ex.


Élise felt unbelievably honored to be given an honorary degree from Howard University School of Law and one from her undergraduate alumni school, Rutgers University, by the US President. Although it's been more than ten years since she graduated from the university, she felt as if it was just yesterday.

In her speech, she made it clear to the Scarlet Knight graduates that she was proud of them (their touched reactions—she almost had tears in her eyes and kept getting choked up). She also said in her speech that it's okay if they don't know what they want in life, that life will throw monkey wretches and unexpected twists, and that life may not always give us what we want; the real gift is life itself. Life itself is a journey that we and only we can make. To never stop and to never give up.


"Look, I'm telling you…" While Spencer was reading a book, Garcia dabbed on her iPad and showed off the screen. It was a comparison photograph between Beth Clemmons and Bellamy Young, and she gasped. "They could be twins, for sure."

"Who could be twins?" asked Tara when she returned to the bullpen, reading paperwork inside a manila file. Garcia turned the tablet around to get her to see.

"Okay, I recognized Bellamy Young, but who's the woman on the left?" Tara asked again.

Garcia answered, sounding charmed, "She was Hotch's ex-squeeze, Beth Clemmons."

"Oh," Tara made a face, looking equally intrigued as JJ and Rossi came in together and interjected themselves.

Before JJ could say anything, she glanced at Garcia's iPad screen and commented, "Well, I didn't know Beth had a twin."

"She doesn't… that's Bellamy Young, who plays Mellie Grant from that hit show on ABC, Scandal. Or is she a doppelgänger?"

Rossi was amazed by the resemblance, "What are the odds?"

Spencer closed his book. "Studies have shown that due to the uniqueness of the human face symmetry, the chances of finding someone who looks exactly like us or has similar facial features can range between 135 and 100,000. But there are chances we can look more like our distant cousins and ancestors than with complete strangers because of shared genetics."

"Explains why I look so much like my relatives…" Rossi replied dryly before Hotch came out of his office.

"Conference meeting in five."

Garcia's cell beeped and groaned. "Looks like we got another case."


Now the afternoon time, Élise was in her office at Main Justice, having lunch while reviewing her statement for an upcoming White House event and commencement speech for the American University Washington College of Law next Sunday.

She turned on her work phone and watched a live stream of the team in Raleigh, North Carolina, investigating new evidence regarding a case involving four teenagers who disappeared last year, delivering the profile to the press.

Élise's personal phone chimed on her desk. Without taking a moment to recognize the number, she put the phone to her ear and said hello.

"Ms. Bastien?" It was a soft, sweet-sounding voice.

Now, Élise had a stunned look on her face.


Spencer sensed his cell phone buzzing in his gray trousers and rummaged inside his pockets to get it. He immediately answered it when he saw Élise's number and sweetly answered hello, but before he could say anything, Élise sounded hysterical and was panting.

"Spence… something's happening to our kids…"


Spencer couldn't remember how long he had frozen. It took Hotch to see him in this state (along with a phone call and a text message from Élise explaining what happened) to make him realize what had happened before Spencer finally told him that something happened to Isaac at the school playground during recess.

Hotch ordered Garcia to book a one-way flight for Spencer and to take some time off. He even personally offered to escort him back to the airport and make sure he was okay. Even during the hour and fifteen-minute flight back to D.C., it felt like the most extended hour and fifteen minutes on a plane he'd ever experienced.


At that moment, Élise didn't care what she was doing. She dropped everything she was doing and called the President, who said that she needed the rest of the day to attend to personal family matters. The President then got the Deputy to assist with her duties until then.

She rushed to the main office, and most of the office administrators gawked in silence. A tall, matronly woman walked around from a corner with an average red-haired woman in a black skirt suit, low heels, and Séraphine. She recognized the red hair as Dr. Bliss, the school psychologist, and the matron lady as Principal Donahue.

"What happened?" Élise wanted an answer. She only glanced down and caught a glimpse of a little something red on Séraphine's pink and gray top and sneakers. "You got blood on you!" she cried.

"That's the other child's blood," said Dr. Bliss, patting Séraphine's shoulders, who had her head down on the ground.

Élise cocked her hair and crossed her arms. "You wanna explain to me what happened?"

"This kid pushed Ziggy off the swing and made him cry. I went after him and told him to apologize to him, but he pushed me back twice," Séraphine explained before her voice went low. "Then I…punched him in the gut and kicked him in the nose, making it bleed."

Élise's mouth dropped, and she was about to say something when this little pudgy boy in preppy attire who looked a year or two older than her with a tissue up his nose and a tan woman in gray scrubs and sensible Dansko shoes came out with Principal Donahue and the short and stout playground monitor before the boy left with the woman in a hurry with his backpack.

"I take it that's the kid you decked." Élise guessed, and Séraphine answered with a nod.

"Playground monitor said she hit him pretty hard like she knew what she was doing," Dr. Bliss replied. "Do you think it's good to teach your daughter how to fight?"

"Yes," Élise answered bluntly. If she could, she'd say hell yes. "And to defend her."

Dr. Bliss added, "This is the third time he has done something like this; he's been suspended for a week. Séraphine will be let off with a warning this time, but there will be serious consequences next time."

Élise sighed. "And Isaac?"

"Ms. Bastien," Principal Donahue greeted her with a handshake. "My apologies for anything, but I'm sure Dr. Bliss filled you in on all the details."

"Oh, yeah, she did," Élise fanned herself. "And my son."

Dr. Donahue motioned for one of her office administrators. "I'll have Ms. Sanders take you to him."

Élise gave Séraphine a hug and kiss and told her Grandpa William would pick her up after school, and Dr. Bliss offered to take her back to class.

She was then escorted to the nurse's office. Being there brought back memories, like the time in middle school when she had her first period or the time she fell asleep in class, and she ended up having to go home despite not having the typical 101-degree temperature.

Élise told herself she needed to stay calm and relax and not overreact or do something that would make her violent, like the time something happened to her kids, like when Séraphine had RSV, and she couldn't get ahold of Spencer (that was valid due to Morgan's stupid prank).

"Just relax," Élise said to herself. "Just keep your cool."

The nurse's office looked like the standard: blah light taupe-colored walls, at least a dozen recovery couches, medical storage cabinets equipped with first aid supplies, hand sanitizers, universal cleaners, and two small desks—obviously for the nurses.

They got to the end of the corner, and the nurse opened the wooden door for her. Élise repeatedly told herself to take a deep breath, even when she saw Isaac sitting on a recovery, clutching to his arm and shivering.

"Oh, baby," Élise scurried to her son's side. She examined his face, and there were only a couple of tiny scratches. "What happened?"

"I was using the swings, and this big kid…he pushed me off and fell and hit my arm," Isaac wiped his nose, shuddering and scrunching his face. "And it hurts really bad…"

Élise embraced Isaac in her arms and comforted him without trying to touch his injured arm. "It's okay, honey…"


When Spencer last heard from Élise, she was taking Isaac to Georgetown University Hospital. His flight landed; he had his satchel and bags ready, and a black Suburban ushered him to the hospital. As usual, there was the occasional traffic and tolls, but he managed to get there within twenty minutes.

When he reached the waiting room entrance, he asked for the room where Élise and Isaac would be. It wasn't like him to flash his FBI badge at them, but in this case, it was necessary. The receptionists printed a visitor's badge for him and pointed him in the directions.


"You were very brave, Ziggy. I told you it wouldn't hurt." Élise curled Isaac's locks as he sat on the blue treatment bed. Not only did he have a purple arm splint on his left arm but also a blue Band-Aid on his left cheek and a hospital bracelet still on his right wrist.

Élise helped him off the bed when their door swung open, and Spencer entered. He immediately hugged Élise and Isaac.

"Hey, buddy, are you okay?" Spencer asked.

"Uh-huh." Isaac nodded his head.

Spencer pulled his son closer, hugging him again. "I'm just so glad you're okay."


A/N: I'd like to thank my girl, Quilter1993, for giving me the idea for what happened to Isaac.

Happy Holidays to everyone who celebrates and may you all have a Happy New Year.

Edit: I changed from Isaac being in a cast to a splint since my girl, Quilter1993, told me about broken arm bones. How an arm splint allows swelling to go down in case surgery is needed.