S.S.A Herrmann (Criminal Minds / One Chicago Fanfic)

Chapter 8

Herrmann Family Residence, Chicago Illinois 

Nikki went back to the house after a couple of hours hanging out at the station with her dad and his colleagues she grew up around. They were a second family to her and had been ever since she could remember. The brunette spent the night helping her mom prep and cook dinner. The family sat down together and ate other than their dad who was still on shift until morning. 

They spent dinner talking about everything Nikki missed while she was away, filling her in on the drama and teenage drama in Annabelle and Lee Henry's lives. After they finished eating Nikki helped clean up dinner and spent the rest of the night playing team duos with Lee Henry and Annabelle in Fortnite until it was close to midnight and their mom wanted them in bed since they had to be up for church in the morning. 

At that point, Nikki gave her siblings a hug telling them goodnight along with her mom before she made her way outside and to her apartment above the garage. The brunette walked in closing and locking the door behind her as she walked up the steep steps and opened her door letting her into the 1 bedroom apartment. 

Nikki shut the door behind her and walked over to the large double bed noticing her mom changed the sheets for her before she came home. The brunette smiled and laid down on the soft mattress before she pulled her phone out of her pocket noticing she had 2 messages from Spencer. 

No problem, How's your trip going? -Spencer 

Also, when does your flight return? so I can pick you up at the airport - Spencer 

It's going good, been going none stop since the flight landed but it's nice to be home. My flight lands in Quantico at 9 pm. How's your weekend going? -Nikki 

After she sent the message she set her phone down as her eyes got heavier and heavier and she fell asleep for what felt like seconds before she woke up to the sound of multiple footsteps running up the stairs followed by a knock. "Nikki mom says you gotta get up or we're gonna be late for church," Lee Henry said after he opened the door. 

The brunette pushed herself up looking toward the window across the room noticing the sun shining through. "Okay, I'll be downstairs in a minute," Nikki replied as Lee Henry shut the door and left followed by the sound of his footsteps retreating down the stairs. The brunette went to the bathroom and took a quick shower before she changed into a pair of black skinny jeans and a black lace tee shirt with a white collar that reminded her of Wednesday Adams. 

Nikki finished the look with a pair of black leather doc martins before she took her phone putting it on vibrate before she made her way out of the apartment and outside where her mom, dad, and siblings were getting into the van. "Sorry, I forgot to set an alarm," Nikki said as she climbed into the back of the van after her siblings. 

On the drive to the church, Nikki noticed she had a few messages from Spencer again causing her to smirk as she opened them. 

I could only imagine, your family must have really missed you like crazy. -Spencer 

I'll be waiting at the arrival gate for you then ;) - Spencer 

They did, almost got tackled by a bunch of kids when I got home, -Nikki 

 The van pulled into the church parking lot and the Herrmann's filed out of the van and made their way inside. Nikki felt out of place, to say the least, the last time she was in a church was for a funeral for one of the victims on a case the BAU worked and before that, it was a funeral for a fallen Ranger she served with in Iraq. 

As the family walked in they greeted everyone else there were a lot of people telling Nikki they were proud of her and thanking her for her service which made her really uncomfortable mostly because if they knew what she did, saw, and witnessed take place they wouldn't be thanking her. It didn't take long for the service to start and everyone sat down in the rows of pews listening to the priest. 

It was maybe 20 minutes into the service when Nikki's phone started vibrating. The brunette peeked at the phone noticing it was Spencer. "put it away, before Mom sees," Annabelle whispered to her. Nikki declined the call turning her focus back to the front of the room as her phone started vibrating again. The brunette stood up and shuffled down the pew and past her parents walking out of the main area and stepped outside before she answered Spencer's 3rd call.

"Hey, what's up?" Nikki asked answering the line, "Hotch needs us back for a case, are you okay? It took you a bit to answer," Spencer asked. "Yea, I'm all good. I was in mass, Um I'm gonna grab my stuff and head to the airport let hotch know I'll meet you at the jet," Nikki said. "Do you need anything from your place? I can stop by," Spencer offered. "Shit, um actually can you grab my gun and badge I left it in my safe," she told him. "What's the combo?" he asked, "The year before my birthyear, it's the year my parents got married, thank you again, Spence," she said before she hung up and walked back inside. 

The service was at the part of the mass when everyone was getting up to get communion and Nikki got in line behind her Mom and in front of her dad. "So I gotta head back to work, my team got a case," Nikki said quietly enough in line for both her mom and dad to hear. "Right now?" her dad asked, "Yeah I gotta get going my teams waiting at the airport in Virginia for me to land," Nikki replied as the priest handed her mom a communion wafer. Her mom took it and walked away as Nikki stepped forwards with her hands out. 

"The body of Christ," the priest said, "Amen," Nikki replied as he set the wafer in her hand and she picked it up and ate it marking the sign of the cross on her forehead chest, and each shoulder before she followed her mom to the pew they were sitting in and gave her family a hug before she walked out of the church and called a cab to take her back to her parents to get her go bag before the same cab took her to the airport.