Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. Feel free to read and review, but please don't copy.
The part with a * is something Kirsten Vangsness (Garcia) said about MGG (Reid).
AN- I am so sorry guys. I've kind of hit a rough patch and I don't feel like writing or sewing or doing anything I love. I'm not sure what's going on with me but I'm trying to work through it. And I promise I will finish my stories.
Previously on Criminal Minds- Spencer's eyes sparkled as he happily toddled beside Rossi. This week was going to be fantastic!
Spencer bounded across his room to the door. He couldn't wait to start the day! There was no telling what Rossi had in store for him. In the past two days alone they'd gone to the zoo, a handful of museums, a butterfly garden, several different parks, and the biggest petting zoo he had ever seen. They had even gone to see Disney on Ice! Spencer was having a blast! And he thought Rossi was, too especially with Reid calling him daddy so the older man could get the full father experience. In fact, he didn't think Rossi had stop smiling all week. The biggest grin had come last night when Dave had told him that today's events were going to top everything they had done so far. Spencer couldn't imagine anything being better than the petting zoo but if…
"Spencer, are you about ready? We have to get going if we're going to get everything done." Dave called through the closed door.
"Toming!" Reid hollered back. He glanced at his bed to ensure he had everything he needed before opening the door and rushing out of the room. It was time for some fun!
CM
"Daddy, what awe we doing hewe?" Spencer asked as he gazed around the giant sportsman's store.
"We're here to buy a few things." Dave mysteriously replied. He ushered the boy around a corner and stopped. "Starting with that" he added, pointing at a huge display of multi-colored vests.
"Life jatets? What do we need fose fow?" Reid curiously inquired.
"Well, you can't hardly get in my boat without one." Rossi replied, smiling as the boy's eyes widened.
"YOUW BOAT! We'we going out in youw boat!" Spencer squealed.
"We are if we get outta here before dark which at the rate you're going won't happen." Dave teased.
Gasping Reid swiftly turned his attention back to the life jackets. He scanned all the children's jackets and then pulled a light blue one with a picture of Stitch surfing on it off the rack. "Fis one" he said, handing his pick to Rossi.
"Good choice" the senior profiler praised as he smiled down at the Disney character that the kid had taken such a liking to. Hoping the little blue monster would be on the other things they needed, he led Spencer towards the opposite aisle where their next item would be displayed.
CM
After finding a child's sized fishing pole, hat, and boots, the duo had purchased their items and left the store. They stopped for gas and a quick breakfast before heading up to Rossi's hunting cabin. Once there the profilers unloaded the truck. They placed everything in the back of Rossi's hunting cart, adding any other necessities they would need. When the last of the supplies had been loaded, Spencer hopped up into the driver's side of the cart. Standing between the seat and the steering wheel, he gazed up at Rossi and hopefully asked, "Tan I dwive?"
Dave held back a chuckle as he took in the sight of the tiny profiler straining to reach the gas pedal and peer over the steering wheel at the same time. He walked the few steps to the cart, scooped the youngster up, tossed him into the air, and then sat down in the driver's seat and settled Reid in his lap. "How about I work the pedals and you steer?" he offered.
"Otay" Spencer agreed. He got a firm grasp on the steering wheel and turned his attention to the horizon. When their ride started moving, he carefully maneuvered around the various bushes and trees to the dirt path that led to the lake. "Fatew!" he hollered once they got on the trail. "Fatew, daddy! Fatew!"
"You've got it bud." Dave answered. He pressed a little harder on the gas pedal. Hearing a delighted cry of "WHEE!", the older man added more speed little by little. Soon they were flying down the path at the rousing speed of six miles per hour. They raced around corners and down straightaways all the way to the lake.
Once they reached their destination, Spencer carefully followed Rossi's directions to vehicle's normal parking spot. Then he slid off his surrogate father's lap and ran around to the back of the cart. The three-year-old excitedly bounced on the balls of his feet while he waited for the senior profiler who slowly climbed out of their ride and walked to the rear of the vehicle. As soon as the man made it to the back and unlocked and dropped the tail gate, Spencer scrambled up into the cart. He snatched up his life jacket and threw it around his shoulders. "Wossi, tan you faten fis peas?" he asked.
"Sure kiddo" Dave responded. He set down his tackle box and swiftly fastened the straps of the life vest. After tugging on the straps and vest to ensure it was secure, he dropped the fishing hat on Reid's head. The father figure then picked up the youngster, set him on the ground, and handed him the child sized fishing pole. "Here you go, bud."
"Fant you" Spencer said, taking the pole. He ran over to the dock, carefully placed his fishing rod on the wooden structure, and then flopped down on his stomach beside it. The little boy then scooted to the edge of the dock and peered into the murky water. Not seeing any fish, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box of animal cookies he'd snitched from the kitchen earlier. Spencer tossed one of them into the water and waited.
In seconds five tiny heads broke the surface of the pond. They raced each other to the tasty treat. The fastest two snapped off opposite ends of the rhino cookie and then looked up for more.
"Daddy! Tuwtles!" Spencer hollered as he tossed more cookies into the pond.
"I see" Dave answered, coming up beside the youngster. He set his tackle box and his pole in their boat and then started back to the cart. "Don't get to close to the edge, Spencer. It may be Spring but that water is still too cold for a swim."
"I'll be taweful." Spencer promised. He scooted back a little before sitting up. The soon to be fisherman placed his box of cookies in his lap. He took a cookie out of the box and threw it in the middle of the group of turtles. Laughing as they scrambled to get the treat, he decided to experiment with his newest friends. Reid tossed two cookies out, in opposite directions this time. He watched as the turtles broke into two groups and raced after the treats. Fascinated, Spencer set out to see what other tricks he could make the turtles do.
CM
"Here you go, kiddo" Dave said, handing the now baited fishing pole back to his charge.
"Fants" Reid told him. He carefully tossed his line in the water. "Now what?"
"Now we just watch and wait." Rossi advised.
"Oh, otay" Spencer mumbled. He sat fidgeting for a few moments before blurting out, "Did you know fat fishing is a favowite powt of…"
"Hey kid, how about you tell me one of your favorite times with your parents instead?" Dave suggested.
"Ummm, otay. I uh, I guess I tould tell you about the time we," he started before shouting, "I'VE GOT A BITE! I'VE GOT A BITE!"
"Alright buddy reel it in, just like I showed you…there you go. Keep it coming." Rossi coached. "Just a little more" Keeping his eyes on the line, he reached down and picked up the fishing net. He waited for the fish to get a little closer before scooping it up. "Here you go, kiddo"
Spencer took his prize and held it up like he'd seen in the photos on Rossi's mantle. "Tate a pit'uwe! Tate a pit'uwe!" he hollered, bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet.
"Alright" Dave agreed. He dried off his hands and then pulled out his cell phone and snapped a couple of pictures of the proud boy. After sending the shots to the rest of the family, he put his cell in his top pocket and opened the cooler he'd brought. "Okay kiddo, in it goes."
Reid examined his catch for a moment before asking, "Tan we fwow (throw) it bat intead?"
"If that's what you want." Rossi replied. He carefully removed the hook from the fish's mouth and handed the wiggly creature back to the youngster.
Spencer slowly lowered the fish into the water. He smiled as the small catfish swiftly swam away. "Let's get some more!" he urged, holding his hook out for the older man to bait.
"That my boy is a wonderful idea." Rossi seconded. He rebaited Reid's hook and the two spent the rest of the morning talking, laughing, and occasionally catching fish. By the time they had to leave, Spencer had caught five fish to Rossi's none. Not that Dave minded. He was having more fun watching his kid. It would have been nice if he had gotten at least…
"Wossi! You've got a bite!" Reid shouted.
Looking down, Dave was surprised to see the kid was right. He grabbed his pole and expertly began reeling in his catch. Smiling at Spencer's coaching, he reached down to grab the net.
"I got it!" Reid called. He slid off his seat and picked up the fishing net and then climbed back onto his seat. Unable to reach the fish from his spot in the middle of the boat, he scooted over until he hit the side of the boat. The youngster then leaned over the side intent on scooping the fish up. When he still couldn't reach, the tiny profiler stood up on his seat, leaned out as far as he could, and fell head first into the water.
"Spencer!" Dave cried. Fish forgotten, he dropped the pole and quickly pulled the struggling boy out of the water. He settled Spencer in the bottom of the boat and then turned and dug through a box behind him. Once he'd found the thermal blanket, he wrapped it around the soaked youngster. Rossi then cocooned the blanket clad Reid in an oversized sleeping bag. "Hang on buddy" he warned before starting the engine and racing back to shore.
CM
After making it back to the house and changing into dry clothes, Reid tromped into the kitchen, climbed onto one of the stools, and stared over at Rossi. "Awe you mating lunch? Tan I help?" he inquired.
Dave looked back at the boy and smiled. "Actually, we have a lunch date with Morgan and Garcia." He replied. "I just thought I'd make something to warm you up before we go."
"Toffee?" Spencer hopefully asked.
Rossi fondly shook his head. "Hot chocolate" he corrected.
"And a tootie?" Reid added, licking his lips.
Dave stared at his charge. "How do you not weigh 300 pounds?" he questioned with an amused smile.
Spencer gave the man a dimpled grin. "Mom said used to say I had the meta'ism of a rabbit on 'peed."*
Rossi chuckled. "A rabbit on speed, huh? That sounds about right to me." He said as he poured the hot chocolate into two mugs. The surrogate father picked up the mugs and, after a moment's thought, the cookie jar and toted them over to the island in the middle of his kitchen. He set one steaming mug in front of Reid and then reached into the jar and pulled out a Garcia special, handing it to the kid as well. "Eat up kiddo. We have to leave in a few minutes if we're going to be on time to meet the dynamic duo."
Giggling, Spencer took a huge bite out of his cookie. He couldn't wait to tell his friends about his morning.
CM
"Alright now Pretty Boy, remember no hover boarding until I get there." Morgan instructed.
"Otay, I won't." Spencer agreed with a mischievous grin.
"Uh huh, riiiight" Derek said, rolling his eyes. He knelt down and held out his hand. "Pinkie promise"
Reid's smile slipped. He'd have to keep his word if he pinkie promised. Those were the rules. He'd thought Morgan was just making that up when the older man had told him about the tradition. But then Jack had told him the same thing a few days ago and Jack had learned it from Hotch so it must be the truth. Knowing he didn't have a choice, he latched his pinkie with his friend's. "Pinkie promise" he muttered.
"Good man" Morgan praised, patting the boy's back before standing. "I'll grab you some safety gear after I get off work and then you and I will hover the evening away. Okay?"
"Otay!" Spencer happily agreed as he jumped up and down.
Noticing the youngster's fidgeting, Garcia quickly piped up. "You know we have a few minutes before we have to leave. Why don't we find the children's play place and have some fun?"
"YES!" Spencer hollered. Grabbing Rossi's hand, he started pulling him after the bubbly blond.
CM
"Oh, look! Here it is." Penelope said as she led the group to the opening of the play area. "And look! There's a cute little ladybug to climb on and a tree slide and there's even some of those cars and trucks you ride on."
Spencer's breath caught as he stared out at the play area. The kids playing…the adults sitting on benches and the barrier around the area watching…the two boys running towards the big truck…the play place suddenly changed to one hundreds of miles away and many months ago. The boy's breathing began to speed up as the horrified screams, the blood everywhere, and his friend's body consumed his mind.
"Hey kid, you wanna" Morgan started, stopping when he noticed his little brother's expression. He gazed out at the play area, eyes widening as he realized what was wrong. Derek quickly scooped up the terrified youngster and headed in the opposite direction. "Where's the nearest sitting area out of sight of that play place?" he asked.
"It's just ahead." Garcia told the worried man. "Why? What's wrong?"
"Aww Hell, he's remembering the airport shooting, isn't he?" Rossi deduced.
"Yeah, I think so." Derek responded. Seeing a comfortable looking set of chairs, he hurried over and settled Spencer in his lap. The big brother then began to rub soothing circles in the little boy's back as he murmured quiet assurances to him.
After what seemed like hours to the adults, Reid's breathing slowed to a more normal level. The exhausted boy flopped back against his protector's chest with a sigh. "Sowwy" he apologized around the thumb in his mouth. "I'm otay now."
"Oh, Sweetie, you have nothing to be sorry for." Penelope assured the youngster.
"Garcia's right buddy." Dave seconded, palming the boy's cheek. "You couldn't have predicted that would happen."
"I know." Spencer muttered. "But I messed up ouw fun day."
"You did nothing of the sort." Rossi countered. "You and I still have a ton of places to go and fun things to do."
"And we plan on taking part in the festivities as soon as work lets out." Morgan added. "Right, Pen? Pen?" He glanced around. "Where's Garcia?"
"She was right beside me a minute ago." Dave answered, scanning the crowd. "Maybe she saw something that caught her eye."
Morgan shook his head. "I don't think she'd go into a store without telling one of us. She would…"
"She is right here." Penelope announced, smiling as both men jumped.
"Baby Girl, where the He-heck did you go?" Derek grumbled.
"Well, I knew our boy genius would be all tired and sad after his umm, episode so I decided to do something about that." Garcia told him. "And while I can't do anything about the tired part, I thought that this," she handed Spencer a Coke Icee, "might just cheer my little Snookums up a little."
"Fant you" Spencer politely said before taking a sip of his drink. "Mmmm, fis is good."
"I thought you'd like it." Pen stated. "But I bet you'll enjoy this even more." She reached into her bag and pulled out a giant chocolate M&M cookie.
"Tool!" Spencer hollered, taking the sweet treat from his friend.
"Oh, I got one for you boys, too." Garcia told the men. She passed out the cookies and then snickered. "Guys, I think we better take this party out to Rossi's truck." She pointed down at a sleeping Spencer.
Dave put his cookie bag in the bag with the hover board before bending down and picking up his sleeping charge. "Thanks guys" he whispered to their friends. Taking the small throw from Garcia, he wrapped it around Spencer. "Come on buddy, let's get you home."