i'll keep you safe, criminal minds

014. paris

Mackenzie paces in the living room, biting her nails. She stops when the front  door opens and Spencer steps in.

"Hey." He smiles. "Come on, mom." He holds the door open, Diana walking in. "Mom, uh... this-- this is Mackenzie. You remember the-- the girl that I adopted that I've told you about?"

"Right. The-- the girl in the pictures." Diana recalls.

"Yes." Spencer smiles and nods. "Mackenzie, this is my mom, Diana."

"Hi." Mackenzie politely smiles. "It, uh, it's nice to meet you."

"Oh, it's lovely to meet you, dear. Spencer writes about you all of the time." Diana says. "He's very proud of you and loves you so much." Mackenzie smiles a little, trying to ignore the heat rising to her face.

"Well, uh, we--" Spencer clears his throat, his own face red from his mother's words. "Are you hungry? I-- I can cook." Spencer offers.

"You can?" Mackenzie frowns. Spencer gives her a look.

"I could use a nap after the flight." Diana says.

"Of course. Yeah. Uh, here, right this way." Spencer leads his mother to the spare room. He comes back out after a little bit, quietly shutting the door.

"Last time you cooked, you set the fire alarm off." Mackenzie says.

"So help me." Spencer says. "Bonding time."

"I don't wanna cook." She frowns. "I can't cook either."

"We'll learn together."

"Wh--"

+++

"I wish we could teleport." Mackenzie grumbles.

"Why?" Spencer asks.

"Because airplanes are so... disgusting... and tiny." Mackenzie shifts around in her seat. "Uncomfortable. Able to crash."

"You could die teleporting, too. Most plane crashes occur within 15 minutes of the flight or when landing, so you're okay between the times." Spencer informs.

"That's not helpful." Mackenzie tells him.

"Sorry." Spencer awkwardly smiles.

~ ~ ~

They've been in the air for a while and Spencer is reading another book. Mackenzie managed to fall asleep about half an hour ago and Diana also managed to fall asleep, the genius actually grateful for the peace. Spencer continues to read, glancing down when Mackenzie's head falls onto his shoulder. He stays still, waiting to see if she wakes up, relaxing when she doesn't.

Spencer pushes her hair out of her face before he continues to read until he falls asleep himself.

+++

"You realize you have to do all the talking, right? Aside from "hi" and "thank you."" Mackenzie tells Spencer.

"I got you that translation book." Spencer says.

"Okay, well, I don't have your eidetic memory. I can't just glance over it and memorize everything." Mackenzie says.

"Okay, okay, you'll be fine." Spencer assures. Just-- just relax. Enjoy the trip."

"Oh, it's beautiful." Diana sighs in admiration, looking around at the city.

Spencer smiles before glancing at Mackenzie who has a frown on her face as she goes through the translation book.

"Hey. Hey, hey, hey." He softly calls, taking the book from her and he drags her a bit from Diana. "Kenzie, relax. We're here to have fun."

"I just--"

"I know that your sleep hasn't been great the past couple of weeks. And I know you're nervous about having another night terror, especially around my mom. If you have one, she'll understand. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Easy for you to say, you don't get them." She mumbles, looking down.

"Not often." Spencer admits making her look up at him. "But I have before. I didn't necessarily wake up screaming, but I'd be sweating and struggling to breathe a lot. I understand PTSD and triggers. I'm here and I'll help you, I promise. But you shouldn't dwell on the possibility of having one. It'll ruin the whole trip for you."

"Yeah, I know." She sighs.

"Just... stay in the moment. I'll help you figure stuff out tonight." Spencer assures and she nods. He places a quick kiss to her head, leading her back over to Diana.

+++

"You know, even though croissants are known for being a French breakfast, they actually come from Austria. Vienna, specifically. They date back to the 13th century. It's only been a French national product since 1920." Spencer informs as Mackenzie eats her pastry.

"Are you gonna explain every food to me?" Mackenzie asks.

"Probably." Spencer nods.

"Just no disgusting facts." She says. "I still wanna be able to eat the food."

"Got it." Spencer nods.

+++

"I've had so much bread. I think I'm over bread." Mackenzie mumbles as they sit on the plane, waiting to take off.

"I'm sure it'll pass quickly." Spencer chuckles.

"But it was all so good." Mackenzie says. "No bread back home is gonna be as good as the croissants."

"And I believe it's passed." Spencer mumbles.

"Do I have to go back to school?" Mackenzie asks.

"Yes." Spencer nods, letting out a small laugh. Mackenzie whines. "We can come back some other time, promise."

"We should visit other countries. Other continents, maybe?" Mackenzie says.

"We'll try." Spencer says. "That's a lot of jet lag, though."

"I'll live." Mackenzie says. "Do we really have to be on the plane again, though?" She whines.

"We'll be fine." Spencer promises.