Wow... has it really been over a year since The Roads Series got updated? I assure, that was not supposed to happen... I got stuck... other stories came up... and of course as sometimes happens, real life threw me a few curve balls and got in the way. My promise to never leave a story unfinished stands... they might occasionally be delayed, but I promise they will always get finished eventually!

I can hear you all squeeing about the update from here - so I'll cut it short. Let's get on with why you clicked on the link for this in the first place!

As always, happy reading and enjoy. :D

Spence rolled over, his eyes popping wide open at the realization that it was officially his favorite day of the year. Halloween! He rolled over to JJ's side of the bed and wrapped his arm around her and kissed her shoulder. He kissed his way across her shoulder and proceeded to press soft lingering kisses along the column of her neck.

JJ moaned, pulled from sweet blissful sleep. "Speeeeeeeence, whaaa…ungh… still dark…go back 'a sleep." She mumbled into her pillow.

"But JJ, don't you know what day it is?" Spence asked in an eager tone of voice.

JJ half groaned, half chuckled into her pillow. Of course she knew what day it was; it was the day her husband turned into a five year old every year. She grinned into her pillow at how utterly adorable it was to see him as excited as a five year old on a sugar rush running down to see what Santa had brought on Christmas morning. She rolled over onto her back and leaned up to kiss Spence softly on the lips. "Happy Halloween baby."

"We should probably get up. We have a lot to do today. I need to get the garage ready and we need to double check our costumes and," Spence rambled excitedly.

JJ twisted to look at the alarm clock. 5 am! "Spence, baby," she reached up pressing her finger to his lips to silence him. "I know Halloween is your favorite holiday and you're excited… but it's only 5am. Can we at least sleep until the kids wake up? Besides, if we get up now everybody is going to crash way too early. You know unlike the kids we won't be able to squeeze nap time in later." JJ asked, cautiously removing her finger from his lips so he could respond.

"But there's so much to do…" he started to argue.

"And I'll help. We have the day off from work and so does everybody else. They're all coming over to help out with decorating and getting everything set up. Right now we need sleep. Did you forget we were just up with Josh a couple hours ago?"

Spence nodded in agreement. "I sure hope that new tooth pops through soon." He said with a glance at the clock, "Okay, more sleep… promise we'll get everything done in time?"

JJ chuckled. "This is the kids' first Halloween party. They aren't going to notice if everything isn't perfect, but yes we'll have everything done in time especially with everyone coming over to help."

"Okay," Spence sighed somewhat petulantly as he flopped back down on the pillow, hoping he fell back asleep quickly and the next couple of hours until the kids woke up went by quickly.

"Bless you Emily Prentiss Hotchner!" JJ exclaimed as she took the proffered cup of coffee from her friends hand as she entered the garage. She lifted the cup to her lips, her eyes closed in enjoyment and a throaty moan escaping as the delightfully caffeinated brew slipped across her tongue.

Emily chuckled at her friend's reaction to the first sip of coffee. "I don't know that I've ever seen you enjoy coffee this much before."

JJ opened her eyes as she lowered her cup, "I've never had an excited four year old and three year old at Halloween before… not to mention a teething seven month old. Throw in a husband who is as excited as a five year old at the prospect of a Halloween party, not to mention Halloween in general and it was a very short night."

Emily grinned, "Well then it's a good thing the reinforcements are here to help set up." she said with a nod to the driveway where most of the rest of the team were approaching.

"You look tired blondie. What's a matter, pretty boy wear you out last night?" Morgan asked as he flashed a wicked grin at JJ.

JJ grinned and decided to fight back. "Why do you need some pointers from Spence on stamina, Morgan?"

Penelope licked her lips, perking up at the thought of increasing his stamina as she rubbed her five month pregnant belly. "JJ, does Reid have some pointers that would help? You are totally telling me later."

Elle laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" Spence yawned as he entered the garage.

Emily grinned. "JJ was just pointing out to Morgan that his stamina might be lacking. Coffee?" she asked innocently as she handed the last remaining cup of coffee from the carrier.

Hotch chuckled and shook his head, knowing this was just what his team needed right now.

"Rossi isn't coming?" Elle asked as she turned to look at Hotch after getting her laughter under control.

Hotch shook his head. "No, he had to meet with the mortuary. The stone is going to be placed in a few days and he wants to make sure that it's correct."

An air of sadness passed over the group of agents as they thought of everything their friend and teammate had been through in the last week with the death of his first wife… and all of them appreciated the fact that his fourth wife, Erin was there to support him.

"Well, we better get everything set up." Emily said as she turned and looked at the pile of decorations to be put up.

"See Aunt 'nelope?" Chloe said excitedly as she showed her Godmother her pouch of "pixie dust" and shook her fairy wings.

"That's terrific Chloe. You make a perfect Tinkerbelle." Penelope gave a nod of approval as she looked down at her Goddaughter. "And what about you Henry, what are you?"

"I'm a pirate!" Henry said as he stood proudly in his tri-corner hat and red coat.

"I see that! I bet you are going to be the best pirate ever… oh my…" Penelope trailed off as JJ and Reid came out into the garage in their costumes, and then she giggled. "That is absolutely fantastic!" she shrieked with glee in realization of the family costume plan that JJ had refused to share no matter how much she begged and pled at seeing Joshua in a fuzzy crocodile costume.

"Nice legs pretty boy!" Morgan called out from across the garage when he saw Reid and JJ make their appearance.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Spence mumbled softly as he followed JJ, dressed as Wendy Darling into the garage.

"You make a perfect Peter Pan Spence. Besides, Chloe and Henry are getting a kick out of it." She murmured, appeasing him as she rested her hand his arm, her fingers lightly running up and down, "Not to mention, I think you look fabulous dress all in green… and in tights," she purred as she eyed him up in down, enjoying the view Spence was displaying in his green tights and tunic.

Spence swallowed heavily at JJ flirting with him and then smiled as he watched the kids all running and playing together. "Yeah, okay." He said with a smile as Chloe and Avery compared their fairy and princess costumes.

Emily laughed as she watched Declan showing Jack how to bob for apples without getting his tie wet. It had only been a couple of months since Louise's death and Declan's kidnapping, but Emily never ceased to be amazed at the resiliency of children. Yes, she'd heard Declan crying in his room and comforted him, but there were quickly becoming more happy times than sad times. When offered the option, Declan had decided that as much as he would miss his friends in the dorms and on the lacrosse team that he would prefer to live at home rather than going to boarding school. Emily couldn't help but get lost in the adorable memory from a couple of weeks ago….

Emily paused in the doorway when she saw Declan and Jack sitting together on the floor of Declan's room double checking their gear bags, Jack for soccer and Declan for lacrosse.

"Declan, what should we be for Halloween?" Jack asked as he copied Declan in checking the gear in his bag even though Daddy had helped him pack it just a few minutes ago.

Declan paused in checking to make sure all of his pads and gear were in his bag and looked at Jack. "Well… what did you dress up as last year?"

A wide smile grew on Jack face as he excitedly answered, "My favorite super hero!"

"Yeah? Spiderman or Captain America?" Declan asked, knowing Jack's favorites.

Jack shook his head, "No, I dressed up as Daddy!"

Declan tipped his head in thought, the idea of the team that had saved him from his kidnappers as super heroes in disguise put a new spin on things… but it certainly made sense to him. He'd been young at the time, but he remembered Emily having him play dead… and now years later he understood why she'd done that… to save him. "Why don't we do that again? You and I can both dress up as agents?"

"Yeah?" Jack asked excited at the prospect of his new brother dressing up with him.

Emily smiled at the memory as she watched the kids all running around and having fun.

"Penny for your thoughts," Aaron whispered in her ear as he stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Emily sighed deeply as she sank back in his arms, her back pressing against his hard, firm chest. "I was just thinking about how well Declan is blending into the family."

Aaron nodded, knowing what a rough couple of months it had been for his now oldest son and happy to see that Jack and Declan had bonded.

"Are you dancing buddy?" Will asked as he watched Billy bouncing on his legs and shaking his butt in his Tiger costume.

"Clearly he got his dancing skills from you," Elle said with a grin as she watched Billy dance, "those are definitely your moves." She teased.

"I ain't never had any complaints cher." Will replied as he eyed his wife up and down, "an' I'm more than happy to offer you a refresher course when we get home tonight."

"What are you snickerin' at baby girl?" Derek asked as he sat down next to Penelope and handed her the glass of water she'd asked for.

"I was just enjoying the sight of the bossman's three mini-mes." Penelope said as she turned away from the sight of Declan, Jack, and Seth in their suits and ties. "It's so fun to see all of the kids all dressed up in their costumes." She said as she watched Jake the fireman and Henry the pirate playing together.

Derek smiled, "Just think this time next year they'll be another pretty little girl for you to dress up in a princess dress and fairy wings." He said nodding to where Chloe and Avery danced around in their costumes while he rubbed Penelope's five month baby bump.

"hmmm, I can't wait… and apparently she can't either!" Penelope exclaimed, grabbing her husband's hand and sliding it across her belly to the spot where the baby was currently kicking.

"Oh, all of our babies look soooo cute!" Penelope clapped enthusiastically as the girls stood together watching all the kids all play, pausing only to rub her hand over her belly as the baby kicked. "This was a great idea Jayje, I'm glad we all got together to take the kids out trick or treating for a little bit before coming back here for the party."

JJ nodded, "Well most of the kids are finally old enough to be able to enjoy it," she said smiling softly as she tipped her head down and pressed a kiss to the forehead of the fuzzy crocodile in her arms, while softly swaying to the music Spence and his bandmates were playing on the stage in their garage.

Emily smiled at the sight of the sleeping baby 'crocodile' in JJ's arms and then she glanced over at the kids dancing while Reid and his bandmates played kid friendly Halloween themed music. "They are definitely slowing down… I guess all of the fun and excitement is starting to get to them."

"Me too," Elle yawned as she swayed a sleeping Tiger in her arms.

A princess dressed all in purple walked up to Emily and wrapped her arms around Emily's legs, burying her face against Mommy's knees.

"Are you tired Avery?" Emily asked as she reached down, running her fingers over Avery's dark hair that was held back by a tiara.

When the little girl nodded her headed against Mommy's leg, Emily reached down and picked her up resting her on her hip. Avery quickly buried her face against Mommy's neck and closed her eyes.

"I guess Seth isn't the only one out cold?" Hotch asked as he came up beside Emily, carrying a suit clad baby boy in his arms. "We better get going before Jack or Declan crash on us too…"

Emily nodded, "Come on boys, it's time to go." she called over the din of playing children and groups of conversation among all of the adults, beckoning the two suit clad boys to run over and join them.

"We should get going too hot stuff." Penelope called over to Derek who held a giggling fireman over his head.

Derek nodded. "Didja hear that squirt? Mama says it's time to go home."

Jake nodded his head as Daddy lowered him back down. "Cwooney?"

"Yeah bud, we're going to going to go home and see Clooney." He said as he carried the bouncing boy over to where Penelope stood.

Penelope eyed Josh, Seth, Avery, and Billy passed out in their parents arms; Jack and Declan barely awake as they stood with Emily and Hotch; and then over to Henry and Chloe who were tiredly rubbing the eyes as they stumbled over towards JJ; then she turned to Derek and watched her own son bouncing merrily in Daddy's arms and quirked an eyebrow, "You let him have more candy didn't you?"

"What?" Derek asked attempting to evade the question.

"Canny?" Jake asked having heard the magic word of the evening.

Elle grinned, "Looks like Jake just busted Daddy."

"It's Halloween…" Derek started to say but then stopped in his tracks at the look on his pregnant wife's face.

"You know you guys didn't have to stick around to help clean up," Spence said, as he looked down from his perch on the ladder where he was taking down decorations.

"Hey man, somebody has to hold the ladder for you. Besides, this is nice… it's kinda like old times almost." Kyle said from where he stood below, holding the ladder for Spencer.

Ben laughed, "Yeah, except we aren't roommates anymore, our girlfriends are now our wives,"

"And we all either have kids or are expecting kids." Mike said with a chuckle.

"Wait Brooke's pregnant?" Chris asked as he turned to look at Mike.

A large grin crossed Mike's face and he nodded his head as the guys all swarmed around him, congratulating him and Brooke.

"So I guess it isn't quite like our old bachelor days being roommates at the old house and playing concerts for the neighbors." Ben said as he looked around at the group.

"No, it's not," Spencer grinned, thinking of all that had changed since he'd been roommates with Kyle and Ben, "it's better."

The guys all smiled as they looked at Spencer and then around the garage. As much as they enjoyed spending time with Spencer's team, it was nice when they had times like this when it was just the old gang hanging out together.

"Sorry we all left without being able to help cleanup last night." Elle asked as she took a bite of her salad. They were having a girls' day of lunch and a little light shopping since they had the next few days off as well.

"Actually after you all left, Ben, Kyle, Mike, and Chris helped take down the decorations after they got all of the equipment put away. It gave Sarah, Megan, Hannah, Brooke and I a chance to catch up. The guys were pretty quick… then Spence wanted to have a monster movie marathon. I fell asleep in the middle of "Frankenstein" and Spence woke me up to go to bed when "The Mummy" was over." She said with a fond smile on her face at her husband's fondness for black and white movies as she took a sip of iced tea.

"Oh, I bet he took you to bed alright," Emily teased as she wiggled her eyebrows causing the other four to laugh.

Once the laughter calmed down, Penelope pulled out her ever phone. "You have to see all of the adorable shots I got last nights of the kiddos!" she said as she handed her phone to JJ.

"Pen, these turned out fantastic," JJ said as she scrolled through the pictures while Emily and Elle huddled close on either side of her.

"JJ's right PG," Emily said as she looked up from the photos, "these are amazing."

Elle laughed as a candid shot of Billy sticking his tongue out at Will appeared on the screen.

"Thank you my lovelies… what can I say… it's a gift." Penelope replied in typical Penelope Garcia Morgan fashion as she rubbed her baby belly.

"You know what else is a gift?" Elle asked as she looked at the other three.

"Having the next few days off?" Emily asked in response, a blissful smile on her face at the thought of a few days at home.

"Ugh," Elle groaned as she collapsed into the seat next to Morgan at the round table.

"You okay there Elle or are your Cajuns giving you a run for your money?" Morgan asked over the rim of his coffee cup.

"Hahaha," Elle replied in an unamused tone of voice, "Billy learned how to climb out of his crib. We spent half the night fighting to get him to stay in his crib and go to sleep or to go back to sleep."

"Ooooh" Morgan winced, making a sympathetic face as he slid a cup of coffee across the table to his co-worker, knowing she needed the caffeine since she and Will had been fighting with a willful 19 month old. "You definitely need this then."

"Thanks," Elle replied with a nod as she picked up the cup of coffee, "oh no, looks like Will and I weren't the only ones being worn out by a toddler." She said as she watched an exhausted looking JJ and Reid come through the doorway of the round table room.

Morgan twisted in his seat to see, "Ouch, you guys look you went twelve rounds with some tired cranky toddlers. What's wrong Pretty Boy, did Chloe not like your choice of bedtime story or did all three of them gang up on you together?"

"Actually, we have the first battle with cold and flu season going on at our house." Reid replied as he paused next to Morgan and accepted the two proffered cups of coffee that Morgan held out.

"It started with Chloe yesterday morning. She must have brought it home from pre-school… then Henry got it this morning… hopefully we can manage avoid Josh getting sick too." JJ added as she sank into the seat next to her husband as he sat a cup of coffee in front of her.

Emily winced in sympathy.

"Well, then let's hope we can get this case wrapped up quickly and get home." Morgan said.

Reid took a sip of his ever present coffee and then looked at Morgan and feigned confusion. "Isn't that always our goal?"

"Kid…" Morgan said as he shook his head.

"What?" Reid replied, "It's true."

"Well, he has a point." Emily laughed.

JJ winked at Spence and reached over and squeezed his hand, knowing he was attempting to make light of the situation to cover how worried he was about Chloe, Henry, and Josh.

Just then Penelope entered the round table room followed by Hotch and Rossi.

"Sorry to cut to the quick my Mouseketeers; but," Penelope paused and took a deep breath as she turned to face the team and away from the screen, knowing all too well from looking over the case just what was about to appear on the screen behind her for the team's purview. "Bodies of two unidentified boys were found near Wichita Kansas a week apart, both were Caucasian, both were between the ages of 15 and 17." Penelope explained as she used the remote to control the images on the screen behind her.

"They were each found mangled in the aftermath of a tornado." Emily said stressing the word tornado as she turned to look at Penelope, questioning the reason for them to be called in on this case.

"Yeah," Penelope agreed, "but that's not what did 'em in. The ME has determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head before the storms hit."

"Well the death blow in each case was in almost exactly the same spot." Morgan commented as he looked down at the file in front of him as the team continued to discuss their newest case.

The bodies of both boys were badly damaged, but at this time the ME hadn't been able to determine if that was from the unsub or from the storm. Combine that with the possibility that the unsub was using the tornadoes as a forensic counter measure, and they all knew they were going to see things they'd never seen before by the time Hotch said, "Wheels up in 30," in his usual pre-jet flight all business voice.

Spence sat watching JJ as she watched out the window, each of them lost in thoughts of their sick children at home. He couldn't get the sounds of Chloe and Henry whimpering for Mommy and Daddy in their fever fueled discomfort the day and night before. They were lucky that Josh had managed to avoid getting sick with what Chloe and Henry had so far.

The engines whined as the wall of dense moist air from the most recent front crossing the central plains states slammed into the jet. The sudden changes in the atmosphere caused the jet to shake ever so slightly, rattling the water glasses on the tables and startling the agents on the plane as they all reached out to keep their water from spilling.

"Ce…central planes, right in the middle of tornado alley." JJ said, as she grabbed her water glass, her nerves on edge between two sick children at home and the weather beating down on the jet at the moment.

Elle nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you have to wonder if this guy has some sort of thing for tornadoes… it's one hell of a coincidence that he starts killing at the same time that there's a series of major storm systems moving through. I mean what are the odds Reid?" she asked as she looked at their resident genius.

Reid pulled himself from his thoughts of Chloe and Henry to focus on the case at Elle's question. "It's hard to give specific statistics, but I'd say it's very high probability given that it's late in the year for tornadoes. Roughly 1,200 tornadoes hit the US every year, more than any other country. The 'tornado season'", Reid said using finger quotes to denote the symbolism of the name "is very geographically based. The Southern Plains experience the highest incidence during May and June. It's even earlier in the spring for the Gulf Coast states and for the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest it tends to fall in June and July. Tornadoes can happen at any time of day or night, but most tornadoes happen between 4 and 9 pm due it being the peak time of day for the atmosphere to be supercharged. If the unsub is drawn to tornadoes for some reason it's likely that he's somewhat familiar with them and knows what to look for. The Super Outbreak earlier this year back in April had 336 confirmed tornadoes that resulted in over 300 lives lost. Kansas is an ideal location for this unsub to use tornadoes as a forensic counter measure since it at wall as Oklahoma and Northern Texas are at the heart of the region most frequently hit by tornadoes." Reid explained.

Elle nodded in understanding as she took in what Reid was saying, knowing from experience that everything Reid was saying could come in handy to the team later on.

Then the screen on the jet blinked and their very own Good Witch of the East appeared on screen.

"Hey, tell us somethin' good Mama" Morgan said as he grinned at his wife's image on the screen.

"Hmm where to start, your sure to be stunningly beautiful daughter has been kicking all night… I think she's upset that Daddy and all her aunts and uncles had to fly away and that Mommy doesn't have magic wand which means we can't come and go by bubble… hence we are here in in the bedazzled Bat Cave," Garcia teased, "and in other news, the local PD have also identified your victims."

A smile crossed the face of each team member as their tech goddess brought her own special brand of lightness to their night for just a moment before getting down to the gruesome details of the case before them.

"I'm putting this all on your tablets, if you'd like to follow along. First up is Jason Meredith, 16 year old runaway from Garden City, Kansas. Mom said he took off over a year ago. Next up is Eric Janelle, 15 year old foster kid from Wichita. He's been gone three weeks." Garcia rattled of the details, "Oh, both of these kids have records, for possession and prostitution." She said, her voice growing soft as she questioned once again what horrors a child had to endure in order to be willing to subject themselves to a life on the streets instead of returning home.

"They were street hustlers." Emily spoke up.

"They were just kids. This could be a sexual predator." Hotch added.

"And a pretty gruesome one at that based on the damage done to these bodies," Elle said shaking her head as she scrolled through the pictures of the victims on the screen of her tablet, "but we have to keep in mind that this might not be a sexual predator. There isn't any visible evidence of that anything sexual happened and both victims were at least partially clothed."

"Either way he's pretty violent given what he did to both of these kids." Morgan added.

"And what if it's not about a sexual act itself, but some sort of fetish involving the victims' missing limbs?" Emily asked.

"Ew, ewww, and again I say ewww…. That is my queue to leave you all and spend time with my binary machines that don't say gross things. You know where to call if you need me, my radiant personality or awesomeness, or my binary babies to track down the dets on the interwebs."

Morgan chuckled as his wife faded from the screen and then found himself gripping the credenza with one hand and Elle's shoulder with the other to keep them both from falling on the floor as the jet flew into another turbulent patch of air.

Emily reached over under the table and grabbed Hotch's hand as they both used their other hand to brace themselves against the table.

Reid calmly reached down and buckled his seat belt and then reached down and picked up JJ's hand from where it was clenched against his knee and interwove his fingers with hers.

Rossi's hand clenched on the arm of his seat, his fingers pressing tightly into the leather as he reached up and made the sign of the cross. Then he took a deep breath, "1,200 hundred tornadoes a year, you say Reid?"

"Yeah," Reid called back over his shoulder as he jostled slightly in his seat, "but actually at our altitude it isn't the tornadoes that we have to worry about. It's the microbursts, a sudden down burst of air and we hit one of those at the wrong altitude and poeuwch, we'll pulverize!" he said with a slight enthusiasm in his voice as he shared the wonder of the scientific phenomena.

Rossi swallowed thickly where he sat in his seat off to the side and behind JJ and Reid. "JJ, I beg of you to make him stop."

JJ looked up at Spence, catching his eye as she shook her head in disbelief. She reached up and pulled him down into a quick kiss, knowing that would stop him from saying anything else… and to be honest she was a little shaken herself between the storm they were flying through and leaving Chloe and Henry while they were sick… she could use a little comfort herself.

Elle, Morgan, and Emily climbed back in the SUV after walking the site where Eric Janelle's body had been discovered.

"So do you really think this guy is a storm chaser with the University?" Elle asked from the backseat as Morgan put the SUV in drive.

"I don't know… I mean the guy clearly knows an awful damn lot about tornadoes, how they work, when to expect them." He replied with a shrug of his shoulder not really sure about just what they were looking for yet.

"Well," Emily said as she turned to look out the window at the utter devastation and destruction, "maybe he's like your buddy from college and want to experience the true power of God."

Elle nodded. "Like Emily already said, he's impulsive; he's probably young and a loner with nothing to lose. We know he has a mode of transportation… but what do you suppose it is? It'd have to blend in and be able to easily conceal the victims."

Morgan nodded. "Okay so it's probably big and late model… maybe a truck or a van?"

Elle nodded, "Makes sense. You have to wonder if he's living in it sense he's traveling so much chasing the weather…"

Emily nodded in agreement. "You're right, he probably is using his vehicle as his base of operations… what if it's an RV? He'd easily be able to live in it… it's perfect for hiding a victim… and he fit right in with the storm chasers whether he is one or not."

"What is it with people who own RVs?" Elle asked with a shake of her head.

Emily and Morgan both chuckled. Elle was right over the years they had seemed to deal with a disproportionate number of unsubs who'd driven RVs.

JJ drank deeply from her cup of coffee as she sat down at the table that had been designated for the team's use in the precinct. Jason Meredith's mother had left just a few minutes ago and she sat making notes and focusing her thoughts on the unsub and the trauma he'd likely experienced as a street kid that would lead him to do what he was doing… how much horror did you have to see as a kid on the streets in order to abduct kids and cleave off limbs? She was fairly certain when they found out who this unsub was and what had happened to him it was going to turn her stomach. Very rarely were the unsubs they encountered evil just for evil's sake… more often than not the unsub was a former victim desperately seeking a way to cope, a mentally ill individual off of their medication or untreated, or the like. She could only hope, as always, that they managed to catch this unsub before he could kill again.

"What are you thinking Reid?" Rossi asked as they walked out of the morgue and headed down the hallway to the parking lot.

Reid shook his head. "I don't know yet. The matching death blows to the head, the dextromethorphan, and chopping the limbs off the victims after their dead? It sounds almost like the unsub is trying to be as merciful as he can other than the horror the victims must have experienced during the time they were tied up… so I guess my question is why?"

"That right there is the question," Rossi replied as they reached the SUV, "What we need is the answer."

JJ startled and turned at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder. "Hey you." she sighed in relief at the sight of her husband behind her, "Did you and Rossi just get back?"

Spence nodded, "Yeah, Rossi and Hotch are getting some coffee and then we going to all compare notes since Morgan, Emily, and Elle pulled in the parking lot right behind us."

JJ nodded as her phone buzzed and she looked down. "Hey, good news, Chloe and Henry's fevers broke!" she said holding up her phone so that Spence could read the message as well.

A smile of relief crossed Spence's face. "That's great!" he said as he read the message. He looked up, his eyes meeting the dazzling blue eyes of his wife; he only looked away at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Okay, what do we know?" Hotch asked as he followed by the rest of the team joined them. "There is another major system expected tonight. That's going to be an issue if his MO is connected to the weather."

"Reid," Hotch said as they climbed back into the SUV to head back to the precinct and finish putting together the profile with the rest of the team, "good work. You realizing the unsub is putting a body together instead of taking one apart could be just the break we need."

Reid nodded his thanks for the compliment at Hotch as their eyes met in the rearview mirror.

"Now if we could just figure out what triggered, we might be able to find our unsub." Rossi added.

Reid tipped his head in thought, "and once we narrow it down to the who, I think your right Rossi; we should be able to use the weather patterns to track him down." Reid replied as he leaned slightly forward in his seat.

Hotch nodded, "I agree. When we get back we need to get the finish pulling together the profile and present it."

Morgan stood with JJ, Elle, and Emily looking at the case board as they worked to piece together what they knew about the victims and what that told them about the unsub.

"Okay, so we've got a white male, probably mid to late twenties driving a late model truck, van, or possibly an RV, but we have no forensic evidence since it keeps getting washed away by the storms." Morgan said as he crossed his arms across his chest in frustration.

"Okay so this guy is racking up a lot of miles to chase the storms in a large vehicle," Elle said as she looked at the photos of the site where Jason Meredith was discovered and the site where Eric Janelle was found… add to that the crime scene that Reid, Hotch, and Rossi had headed out to a bit ago… "So, how is he paying for the gas and supplies that he needs? I think JJ's right; this guy has to be a former street kid, which means he doesn't have a high paying job that he's taking a vacation from."

Emily nodded along, "and with the trauma he's most likely experienced he probably doesn't have the best people skills and the edginess and agitation wouldn't help either with holding down a regular job."

"Okay, so he's probably a handy man or a day laborer, anything transitory where he can get the funds for necessities like gas and food." Morgan replied as he turned to look at his teammates.

"He's got to be from somewhere in tornado alley," JJ said as she took a sip of her coffee, "it's the only way he could be as familiar with tornadoes as he is given that he's been able to place the victims in the right place to be taken by the storms… and for some reason he's latching onto the protective nature of the victims, but I don't understand why… What if he's a symphorophiliac?" JJ asked as she turned to look at the others.

"It would make sense…" Elle said as she looked at the board, "clearly there is something about the weather that's triggering him… and it could be the aftermath… maybe he sees himself as a part of the storms?"

"You think it could be his way of taking back control for something that happened to him during a tornado?" Emily tossed out the idea.

JJ nodded, "Maybe this is his version of getting off on power and control… he's a part of the storm and controls what happens for that brief moment before the victims are taken by the tornado?"

Morgan nodded, "So he gets off on the disaster because he's a part of it… makes sense… hopefully…"

Morgan was cut off by Hotch. "We need to give the profile." Hotch said as he came into the bullpen of the precinct, his coat tails fluttering behind him like a cape followed closely by Rossi and Reid.

"Are you sure we're ready to do that?" Morgan asked as he looked between Hotch, Rossi, and Reid who'd all just returned from the most recent crime scene where the dismembered arms, legs, and head of the latest victim had been discovered early that morning.

"He's accelerating and the weather's driving him to do it." Hotch replied, "Reid noticed that it looks like our unsub isn't taking bodies apart, he's putting one together based on the body parts that have been taken so far."

"Okay, but…" Morgan started.

"Like Frankenstein's monster?" Elle asked, interupting Morgan mid sentence.

"Oh my God… of course… why didn't I see it sooner!" Reid exclaimed. "Elle's right; it's exactly like Frankenstein's monster!" he exclaimed in excitement. "and that helps fit the timeline of our unsub's transformation as well."

"What do you mean pretty boy?" Morgan asked as he looked around at the confused expressions on the rest of the teams' faces, glad that he wasn't the only one that needed further explanation.

Reid grabbed a marker from the tray of the whiteboard and shook it, the ball in the pen making a clicking sound as it rolled back and forth, mixing the ink in the pen. He stepped up to the white board and drew a stick figure. "Most unsubs who have this MO aren't driven by the assistant get the body parts for his creation by digging up fresh graves to get the parts they needed."

"Okay, so you think this guy started out as a grave robber?" Emily asked as she looked at the partial stick figure Reid had drawn on the whiteboard.

"Potentially… so far the first victim was missing his right leg, the second victim both arms, and the third victim his torso… the only pieces missing for this unsub to put together a complete body are the left leg and the head. We can assume that he's leaving the head for last since it's the most difficult part for him to find."

Rossi stood with his thumbs hooked in his jeans' pockets, "Makes sense, it would have to fit his fantasy, whatever that is, perfectly."

Reid nodded, "Which means there is a victim we haven't found yet who's missing a left leg."

"And you think he robbed a grave to get the left leg?" JJ asked.

Reid nodded as he watched Morgan hit speaker and dial the phone, knowing that there could only be one number he'd be dialing at this moment.

"PG at your service, don't let the name fool ya." Garcia said as she answered the phone.

"Baby girl, you're on speaker." Morgan said, giving his wife fair warning that everyone could hear her.

"Garcia, can you take a look for grave robberies in tornado alley over the last five years?" Reid asked.

"Okey dokey, searching…" Garcia said as she rapid fire typed on her key board. "Oh, that is a shockingly big list… who knew grave robbing was so on trend?"

"How many of those involved the bodies of teenage boys?" Rossi asked, hoping they had a hit that brought them another step closer to closing this case.

"Uhhh… none." Garcia said as she looked through the cases she'd pulled up.

"What about morgues and funeral homes?" Emily asked.

"Une momentito," Garcia mumbled as her fingers tapped at the keyboard. "Again, that is a list that should not be that big!" she said, in shock at the length of the list that appeared on her screen. "Eh mostly stolen embalming fluid though…"

"It's often used like PCP, Penelope." Morgan explained.

Garcia took a sip of her tea, "Hokay, I'm feeling optimistic about the youth of America. There are no teenagers involved in this either."

"Okay, try looking for thefts involving left legs, specifically left legs." Reid said, glancing about at the team.

"Okay eewwwh, this is why I can't talk about how my day was at dinner with friends outside of present company… or breakfast…lunch…" she mumbled as she input the search parameters, "Spencer, you scare me." She said softly as her search returned a single result.

"Join the club," Rossi replied.

"We really should have membership cards made up." Elle teased as she turned and winked at JJ while giving Reid a friendly nudge.

A frown appeared on Reid's face as he looked first at Rossi, and then at Elle until finally his eye's met JJ's across the table.

JJ smiled, shook her head, and winked at Spence. Of course her husband had been right.

"A left leg was stolen off a body a year ago," Garcia explained as she read them the details of the case from her screen, "at the Regio Funeral Home in Tulsa. They never found who did it."

"Garcia," Hotch spoke up, "what was the weather like in the area at the time?"

"Uh, thunderstorms and tornadoes… and F2 cyclone hit right around there and then the robbery took place after they evacuated." She said as she skimmed the newspaper article for the details the team needed.

"That's got to be our unsub." Morgan said as he looked around at the team.

"Wait, there's more… the guy who's leg was stolen… he was a 47 year old father of two who died of leukemia." Garcia said as she gave the rest of the details from the story.

"That's a huge jump…" Rossi said, "Preferential child sex offenders don't usually stray from their preferred age range." He said as he looked at Elle, their resident sex crimes specialist.

"I think this is the definitive proof we needed that it isn't about sex for this unsub." Elle said as she looked around at the team, "but rather that the person he's trying to build, to put back together is from that age group. It explains why the ME didn't find evidence of sexual assault, because there wasn't any… and the why the victims were found at least partially clothed. In fact only the victim who was missing his right leg was stripped down to his boxers… and that was most likely because it was easier and more convenient for the unsub to make sure he struck the correct spot with ax or cleaver or whatever tool he's using to dismember the victims."

Hotch nodded in agreement. "Elle's right, it's not about the sex at all… he developed his MO from the funeral home so that he could live out his fantasy and kill in a storm."

"It still doesn't explain what or who he's building." Emily said as she pointed at the whiteboard.

"Whatever it is, this unsub won't stop until he finds the perfect head… it's the final piece to his puzzle." Reid replied.

Hotch nodded solemnly. "Let's get everyone together and give the profile."

Just then, JJ's phone rang, "Jareau" she answered without looking at the caller ID, "Rebecca, Rebecca, slow down… just take a breath…" JJ paused as she listened to Rebecca and then turned to look at Spence with terror filled eyes. "Hang on just a second okay?" she said softly into the phone, knowing that she and Spence needed to get somewhere private for this call. "Hotch?" she asked questioningly as she held her phone against her chest.

"Go," Hotch nodded at them both, "the rest of us will give the profile and then I'll catch up with you after."

"I don't know what happened… I gave Henry his medicine again this morning… but his fever spiked again… then he was shaking and I…I…" Rebecca said her voice shaking as she was practically in tears as Spence and JJ sat huddled together on the bench in the hallway outside the precinct bullpen listening to her on the other end of the phone.

"Rebecca, it's okay. The doctor is right, febrile seizures are normal for children Henry's age… we'll want to keep a close eye on Josh in case he gets sick too. Febrile seizures are more common in boys than in girls, so my guess is that if Chloe hasn't had one yet, that she's not going to. It's not your fault and there's nothing that you could have done to prevent it." Spence said speaking softly and calmly into JJ's phone that was on speakerphone, as tightened his grip around his wife's trembling shoulders.

JJ cleared her throat, "Spence is right Rebecca," she said as she looked up at her husband's warm brown eyes, "you couldn't have known. Where is he now?"

Rebecca took a shaky breath, "He's resting right now. I'm just waiting on some paperwork and then they're going to release him. Chad stayed at home with Chloe and Josh so that they wouldn't have to come to the hospital."

"Okay, one of us will be on the first flight we can get home. We'll call you as soon as we know what's going on okay?" JJ asked softly, knowing that Rebecca had to be just as terrified as she was.

Rebecca took a deep breath, "Okay. I'll let Henry know. He'll be excited to see Mommy or Daddy." She said knowing how much Chloe and Henry had both wanted Mommy and Daddy while they'd been sick.

Spence clicked the 'End Call' button on JJ's phone and then wrapped his arm around JJ, completely encasing her in his embrace. "JJ, it's okay… Henry is going to be okay."

"He's just a little boy Spence…" JJ mumbled against his shoulder, "Can you imagine how terrified he was… and Mommy and Daddy weren't there…" she sobbed, choking on her words.

"I know, JJ, I know… but we always knew that we might be away while one of the kids were sick… and I didn't lie about what the doctor told Rebecca. Febrile seizures happen to children between the ages of six months five years of age. They only happen with an elevated fever, but they don't necessarily occur when the fever is at its peak. Infants who are younger than 15 months when they have their first febrile seizure are more likely to have repeat occurrences than older children. There's no evidence that they cause brain damage, a decrease in IQ, or learning problems. Febrile seizures aren't epilepsy and there's only a slight increased risk for developing epilepsy compared to the general population. Henry is going to be fine." He whispered in her ear as he rubbed her back.

"What's wrong?" Hotch asked in a concerned tone of voice, his soul filled with dread when he saw the position his two profilers were sitting in.

JJ took a deep breath and sat up, turning away from Spence's shoulder. "It's Henry, he had a febrile seizure." She said, squeezing Spence's hand.

"Rebecca took him to the ER and he's fine. Febrile seizures are normal for children in his age group… but Hotch…" Reid trailed off, unsure how to phrase the request.

"One of you needs to go home?" Hotch asked picking up where Reid left off.

JJ and Reid both nodded.

"Of course, anything I can do?" Hotch asked in a voice filled with concern for his profilers, his friends, and his godson.

"Let us borrow the jet?" JJ asked sheepishly, having a feeling the answer would be no, but still taking a shot anyway.

"I think the budget oversight committee might not appreciate my generosity." Hotch replied solemnly.

"Yeah, well worth a shot right?" JJ said, attempting to smile.

"Check in and let us know everything's alright… unfortunately though, I can only let one of you go… one of the downsides of being on the same team… we can't afford to be two agents down." Hotch said apologetically, "I'll give both a moment to decide who goes home and who stays here." He said excusing himself as he turned and headed back to the rest of the team.

"Spence," JJ said turning to face her husband, having absolutely no idea how they were going to decide who went home to their children and who stayed here to work the case.

Spence wrapped his arms around JJ and kissed her temple. "JJ, you should go home. It has to be you. I know how worried you are… not that I don't want to go home too…" he trailed off.

JJ leaned back from Spence's shoulder and reached up, holding his face in her hands, "You are a good man and a wonderful father Spencer Reid… and I don't know what I would do without you, so promise me that you will be safe."

"I always am." Reid smirked as he leaned down resting his forehead against hers.

"You are not," She argued, a smile crossing her face, "but I appreciate you trying to keep me calm." She said as she tipped her head back and kissed him. "I'll let you know once I have a flight."

"Okay, we'll catch this guy as soon as we can so we can get home too… I promise." Spence whispered.

"I know… I'll see you soon." JJ whispered back as she as she squeezed him one more time and then stepped out of his arms and headed down the hallway, taking the back way into the bullpen to find a desk with a phone that she could use so she wouldn't be a distraction to the team.

Spence watched her walk away, then he turned on his heels, and turned back the way they'd come, more determined than ever to find the unsub and go home.

Hotch nodded at Reid as he re-entered the bullpen, causing the rest of the team to turn and look.

"Hey man," Morgan said softly, clasping his hand on Reid's shoulder as he walked up next to him, "Henry's a tough kid; he's gonna be okay."

Rossi gave him a silent nod, knowing how much Reid had to be losing his mind staying here while JJ headed home to their babies.

Emily and Elle both gave supportive nods, unable to imagine what it would be like to be in JJ and Reid's position right now and hoping that they never had to find out.

"Just to get you up to speed Reid, Emily and Rossi are going to head over to the university to meet with the storm chasers. The rest of us will go back over everything again and see if there's anything we missed." Hotch spoke.

"Excuse me, Agent Hotchner?" an officer interrupted, "Lieutenant Beasley asked me to come and get you. There's been another abduction; but this time he left a witness. The victim's younger brother was left behind. The parents met officers at the scene. They're on the way here with the younger brother now."

"What do we know?" Hotch asked as he turned to face the officer.

"Um…" the officer flipped open his notepad, "Shaun Rutledge, he's the victim," the officer said as he looked up from his notepad, "he and his younger brother Billy were caught in the rain. They were attacked by a white guy in an RV with a crowbar."

"Okay," Hotch said turning to face the team again, "Rossi and Emily, you head to the University to see if you can find out anything useful from the storm chasers. I'll meet with the Rutledges when they get here. Morgan, Reid, and Elle, look everything over again… there has to be something we missed that will tell us who this unsub is."

With that the team headed off one way, while Hotch split off to talk to Lieutenant Beasley about the latest development in the case.

"Hey, I thought you were out of here?" Morgan asked as the team came upon the desk JJ had commandeered.

"Uh, flights are cancelled because of the weather," she replied.

"How's Henry?" Emily asked.

"He's headed home. They just released him." She answered, her eyes seeking out Spence's.

"That's great news." Rossi replied.

"Where you guys off to?" JJ asked at seeing Emily and Rossi putting on their coats as she stood up from the desk.

"To the University to talk to some storm chasers." Emily replied as she slipped into her coat.

"Hmm, stay dry." JJ offered up.

"Yeah, right." Rossi replied, knowing they would most likely be soaked to the bone by the time they got back.

"Who's that with Hotch?" JJ asked as she came around from behind the desk. Since her attempts to get home were futile with all of the flights being cancelled because of the weather. She might as well rejoin the team in working the case so they could catch the unsub and all go home.

"There's been another abduction, a boy name Shaun Rutledge; it's his younger brother Billy." Reid explained as they all watched Hotch shake hands with the parents of the latest missing boy.

"Says a young white guy in an RV attacked them with a crowbar in the rain." Morgan added, turning to look at JJ.

"He's also changed his victim selection criteria," Reid continued, "the boy he grabbed gets straight As, plays football, even volunteers at his church."

"So he wanted him so badly he was willing to leave a witness?" JJ asked as she turned back to look at Spence.

Reid nodded. "Which suggests he's losing touch with reality and his delusions are starting to take over."

"What is it about this kid that's so attractive to him though?" Morgan asked.

"He's teenage and Caucasian like the others, right?" JJ questioned, wanting to get up to speed so that she could help.

"And there's the protective instincts again, just like with all the previous victims." Elle added.

They all stood looking through the window of the office where Hotch sat with Shaun Rutledge's family and interviewing the younger brother Billy.

JJ watched the sad expression on the young blond haired Billy; she couldn't help but be reminded of three younger blond haired children a thousand miles to the east. And then it clicked for her… the expression on poor Billy's face… "Maybe it's love," JJ said turning around to look at Spence and Morgan, "What if he's trying to recreate someone he loves?"

"It is an emotion that drives us to extremes." Morgan said thoughtfully.

"If he's trying to recreate someone, then it's probably someone that he loved and lost." Reid added to the conversation.

"Wait," JJ said turning from the window again, "you said he was with his big brother, right?" she asked as she looked back and forth between Morgan, Spence, and Elle.

"The protective instincts… it always a male victim… he's trying to recreate his big brother!" Elle exclaimed, catching on to where JJ was going with her thought process.

At that moment Hotch came out from interviewing Billy Rutledge with the composite sketch of the unsub that the sketch artist had been able to put together from Billy's description. "Billy was able to give us a description," he said handing the sketch over to Morgan.

Within minutes Garcia was able to narrow their unsub down to one Travis James' and tell the sad traumatic tale that had led him to this point of no return in his life.

"He's trying to use the storm to try to bring Tucker back… just like Frankenstein." Reid said finally understanding Travis' connection to tornadoes.

"Let's go. We'll meet up with Rossi and Emily on the way." Hotch said, turning and heading for the doors of the precinct.

"You gotta stay still dude. Trust me, it's all good." Travis James yelled to be heard above the howling winds of the storm as he knelt above the boy he'd selected to be his brother with an axe in his hand. "Hey, we ain't got time for this, it's comin' now!" he yelled as he wrestled with the boy who would soon be his brother on the ground. "You want the hard way or the easy way?"

Shaun groaned behind the duct tape covering his mouth and struggled against his bindings, refusing to make it easy for his captor… and then he heard the sirens.

Travis raised the axe above his head, preparing to strike as a black SUV sped up the driveway of the old abandoned home he'd found. "NO! Who're they?" He pulled his soon to be brother up right and used him as a shield, holding the axe across the boy's chest.

"Travis James! FBI! Put the weapon down!" Morgan called out as he, JJ, Reid, and Lieutenant Beasley approached with their weapons drawn.

"You get back!" Travis called out, fighting to stay upright with the struggling boy in his arms, the weight of the axe, and the wind that was rapidly picking up.

"We can't do that!" Morgan called back.

"I said stay back! Are you hard a hearin' or somthin'?" Travis replied.

"Just let Shaun go and we can work this out!" Morgan replied as they edged closer.

"That's his name you know!" JJ yelled hoping that personalizing the victim for Travis and getting him to identify with him would get Travis to surrender, "He has a little brother too! We know you saw them when you attacked them."

"Just get out of here… go, PLEASE!" Travis begged, desperate to be reunited with his brother… the one person who'd protected him and made him feel safe.

"Travis, Tucker would NOT want this." Reid called out, hoping he could reason with the unsub. "He'd want to protect you like he did with Roscoe Gulch."

"That bastard was guilty!" Travis called out, railing at the sky with his axe and barely continuing to hang onto the boy.

"Just let him go and we can help you." JJ practically begged, seeing for a moment the boy that had been before the craziness of the last year, before a life on the streets, before foster care, and before his innocence was stolen by Roscoe Gulch.

"WE DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Travis screamed to be loud enough to be heard above the storm.

And then a swirling vortex dropped out of the sky sounding like the thunder of God as it ate its way through the tree line on the far side of the abandoned farm.

"WE NEED TO GET TO COVER NOW!" Lieutenant Beasley called out as the debris in the air picked up and swirled violently looming ever closer.

"Come on man, put the weapon down!" Morgan tried again, unwilling to give up on the young man and knowing that they needed to save Shaun.

Travis let go off the boy who reminded him of Tucker and threw the axe. He turned and stooped; grabbing what was meant to be his brother's new body and walked towards the gale force winds and the swirling vortex.

Reid and Morgan ran to Shaun and quickly cut him free from the zip ties binding his hands and feet. Reid wrapped Shaun's arm around his shoulders as he and JJ helped Shaun to his feet.

Morgan popped up from where he knelt cutting Shaun's feet and turned to go after Travis. He paused to block his face as he was pelted with debris and then stopped in sheer awe of the storm, debating if he had time to tackle Travis where he stood and drag him back to shelter.

"WE GOTTA GO! WE GOTTA GO!" JJ yelled as she grabbed Morgan's sleeve, knowing that they didn't have a moment to spare with the tornado bearing down on them… they were cutting it all too close as it was, and there was no way she was going to have to tell Penelope that her husband was sucked up in a tornado.

Beasley opened the storm cellar door and guided Shaun down; following behind him and leaving the door open for the three FBI Agents.

JJ, Reid, and Morgan reached the storm cellar door and all turned to look just as Travis James, the remains of his previous victims, and the house, and the RV were all sucked up by the tornado.

Reid pressed his hand against the small of JJ's back guiding her down the storm cellar stairs as he followed close behind her. Morgan brought up the rear, closing and securing the storm cellar door behind him.

They all turned and looked at the cellar door waiting to see if it would hold as the heard the howling wind of the tornado move directly overhead and the heard the latch of the storm cellar door rattle. Then they all took a deep breath as they sank onto the benches that lined the walls, counting themselves as lucky to have had a close encounter with a tornado and to have lived to tell the tale.

JJ gasped, catching her breath as she wrapped her arms around Spence's waist while his arm wrapped around her shoulder holding her tight in the aftermath of their near death experience as the tornado raged directly above their heads.

And then as quickly as it came up on them, the tornado was over and an eerie silence engulfed them as they sat waiting in the storm cellar to make sure they were really in the clear.

Several long minutes passed without anyone speaking and then a loud banging noise came from the storm cellar door.

"MORGAN! JJ! REID!" Hotch yelled as he pounded his fist on the storm cellar door. He hoped to God they were inside… because if they weren't… he didn't even want to entertain the thought that they weren't as an option.

"Hotch!" Morgan yelled, rushing up the stairs and undoing the latch on the door. "We're here Hotch, we're here!"

Between Hotch lifting and Morgan pushing, they were able to easily get the storm cellar door open again.

"Man am I glad to see you Hotch!" Morgan exclaimed as he took in the sight of his Unit Chief's face in the moonlight.

Hotch smiled, "Me too Morgan, me too." He said as he stepped out of the way so that Morgan could clear the way for everyone else to exit as well.

JJ looked across the storm cellar to Shaun, "Your parents and your brother Billy are waiting for you at the Police station. They're going to be very happy to see you."

Shaun gave a dazed nod and then headed up the stairs guided by Lieutenant Beasley.

Spence gave JJ a squeeze and then he stood up and held out his hand, "Come on, let's go find out how soon we can go home."

"Thanks Bec. The weather's supposed to break sometime tomorrow. We'll give you a call as soon as we find out when we're going to be able to take off. So," JJ paused as Spence sat down beside her and handed her a cup of coffee, which she happily accepted, "are they still up?"

Rebecca laughed on the other end of the phone. "Of course they are. I can always tell when they're feeling better; they refuse to go to bed without their bedtime story and saying goodnight to Mommy and Daddy." She said as she stepped out of her room and across the hall to Henry's room where Chloe sat with him on his bed. They were both in their pajamas and Henry was tucked under the covers while Chloe held their bedtime story.

JJ teared up at the thought of their children as she leaned into Spence and tipped the phone so that they could both listen to the conversations on the other end.

"Hey guys, guess who's on the phone?" Rebecca said as she sat down on the edge of Henry's bed.

"Mommy!" "Daddy!" Chloe and Henry exclaimed in unison.

"Hey! Hi sweetie, hi little man." JJ replied, perking up at the sounds of their young children's voices on the other end of the phone.

"Hi princess, hey big guy," Spence added offering his own greetings.

"Hey little man, how are you feeling? Bec told me you had to go to the um… doctor." JJ prodded, wanting to get a sense for how their son was holding up in what was probably just as scary of an experience as it had been for everyone else.

Henry however, always the resilient child, had already long forgotten about his experiences earlier in the day. "You coming home Mommy and Daddy?" Henry asked.

"Not tonight big guy." Spence replied. "There are some big storms with thunder and lightning and we have to wait for those to be over before it will be safe for us to fly. Tomorrow we'll be home though, okay?"

"Okay!" Chloe replied anxious to see Mommy and Daddy again.

"You sound excited to see us princess, did you miss Mommy and me?" Spence asked as he smiled down at JJ.

"Uh huh. I always miss you when you gone." Chloe replied.

"Oh sweetie, we miss you when we're gone too." JJ replied. "Are you ready for story time?"

"Uh huh" came the matching reply from the oldest two Reid children through the phone.

"Are you sure?" Spence teased as he winked at his wife.

"Uh huh." Chloe replied nodding vigorously even though Mommy and Daddy couldn't see her. "We has our jammas on and Bec hewped us brush our teeth Daddy. We gots da book out and everything."

"Uh huh. We gots da book. We's ready Daddy." Henry chirped in agreement with his big sister.

"Okay, if you're sure. Mommy?" Spence said as he looked down at JJ.

JJ smiled at Spence as she recited Chloe and Henry's bedtime story from memory. "Once there was a baby star, he lived up near the son. And every night at bedtime that baby star wanted to have some fun." JJ said, swallowing back her tears, "he would shine and shine and fall and shoot and twinkle oh so bright." She smiled thinking of how fitting the description of the baby star was for her own baby boy, "And he said, 'Mommy, I'll run away if you make me say good night.' And then his Mommy kissed him on his sparkly nose and said, 'no matter where you go, no matter where you are, no matter how big you grow, and even if you stray far, I'll love you forever because you're always my baby star.'"

"Night Mommy, night Daddy," two tired little voices chimed over the phone.

"Works every time," Rebecca said as she took the phone and looked down at Henry and Chloe who were falling asleep leaning against each other. "We'll see you when you get home tomorrow."

"Thanks… and Bec… thanks… you don't know how much it means to Spence and I that you care as much about our kids as we do… if we…" JJ paused, overcome by the emotion of the day.

"Bec, what I think JJ is trying to say is that we don't know what we'd do without you… will do without you to be honest once you have your degree and are ready to move on to other things." Spence said giving words to the fact that Rebecca was in her senior year.

"You guys are family to me… so I don't know what I'd do without you either." Rebecca replied, touched by JJ and Spencer's words.

"Thanks, we'll see you tomorrow." JJ replied. And then JJ and Spence chorused, "Goodnight" together, choosing to leave unsaid just how close Rebecca and their children had come to experiencing life without them as they hung up.