A one shot that I thought up of while waiting for someone.
Summary: After Spencer has to bring an ill Jack to his lectures. He doesn't know how to handle a sick child, trying to copy what Aaron does. So when Jack calls him Papa before bed, he starts to wonder if he deserves the chance to be Jack's Papa. H/R R/J
"Sorry you had to stay behind to give lectures" Hotch sighed, while in the line to pick up the team's lunch order.
"So am I. How's the case coming along?" Reid asked, grabbing his notes. He knew them back to front but still, the professor may want to read over them.
"Spence it's 45°C and we've found another body. We're going to question the unusb's wife. So it hasn't been great" Hotch mumbled.
"Aaron it's 35°C" Reid laughed, grabbing some coffee from the staff room. Now where was the sugar? "Do you know how long it'll take to wrap the case?" Spencer sighed.
"Not too long, baby. A few more days at most. Why are you missing me?" Hotch teased, before placing his order. The employee stared at him due to the large order. Hotch turned on his glare that left unsubs trembling. "I'm trying to catch a murderer, so by all means take your time. It's not like my team needs to be fed" Hotch snapped.
"Bullying food servers again?" Spencer chuckled, sitting down to look over his notes. Profiling was about trusting your instincts.
"No I- uh how's the lecture coming on love?" Aaron asked, knowing that it was obvious he was changing the subject.
"Fine, I'm actually doing it right now. Everyone can hear you calling me pet names. And to your previous question, yes I do and Jack misses you too" Spencer rolled his eyes.
"Hey I'm still your boss. I could fire you. I miss you both too. Oh remember it's Jack's scout night tonight" Aaron reminded, grabbing the food.
"Aaron, I've been taking him for 4 months, never mind hearing you tell me every Thursday for a month before we told him. He's in safe hands, I promise. And besides what would you tell Strauss? That I got fired because I let a lecture hall hear you calling me baby and how you missed me" Spencer smiled.
"Sometimes, I really would love to tape that mouth shut. I'm sure you were never this insolent before we starting going out" Hotch laughed.
"I was but you never had the pleasure of enjoying it" Spencer teased.
"That pleasure is all mine now. I've got to go, I've got Garcia on the line. I love you" Hotch sighed.
"Okay I love you too. Tell everyone I said hi" Spencer nodded, getting some more coffee.
Spencer's phone rung just 20 minutes before he was meant to give his lecture. "Dr. Spencer Reid" he answered, juggling his microphone and notes.
"Dr Reid, this is River Oaks Elementary (1) here. We're sorry to disturb you but Jack's ill. He has a high temperature and he's been sick. Would it be okay to pick him up?" the receptionist of the school asked.
Spencer blanched. Jack was ill with Aaron gone? And he had to be picked up. Damn! "I'll be there in 20 minutes" Reid assured, grabbing his bag and stuffing the notes in.
Reid rushed to find the professor who was talking to a couple of his students from the previous lecture. He would have to give the lecture, that was impossible to get out of. But he did need to pick up Jack straight away.
"I'm sorry, Professor Bloomberg, but I really need to delay the lecture" Reid rambled, putting the microphone down on his desk.
"Dr Reid, I'm afraid that's going to be difficult. How long do you need it to be delayed for?" Mr Bloomberg frowned, turning to the distressed doctor.
"I need to fetch my son from school. I need 40 minutes, to get there and to come back" Spencer told him. "I think I can delay the lecture for 20 minutes. But you'll have to hurry" Mr Bloomberg shook his head.
Reid ran to his car, shoving his stuff inside. The BAU wouldn't be happy if he left the lecture all together, so he would have to bring Jack to the University and then take him home. It's not like he didn't deserve some time off. But he worried that Jack was seriously ill, the lecture itself was meant to be for an hour. Could Jack wait that long?
The drive went quite quickly, with Spencer pushing his car to get at the destination. He didn't know how to handle a sick child. Usually whenever Jack was sick, Aaron would usually deal with him. Make him something cold to eat to cool his fever and then watch a movie.
When he walked into the Elementary School, the first thing he expected to see was Jack bent over in pain. What he didn't expect was Jack smiling at something a teacher had said to him. "Spence!" Jack cried, opening his arms for the young man to cuddle him.
"Hey little man, what's all this about you being ill?" Spencer asked, picking him up. The 7 year old was heavy but he still held him.
"I feel sick Spencer" he groaned, nuzzling himself into Spencer's neck.
Spencer sighed, balancing the boy on his hip and going over to the desk. They handed him the papers to say he was going home. "Goodbye Jack, goodbye Daddy" the receptionist waved. Spencer blushed and carried Jack out of the school.
"I'm sorry Jack, but you'll have to stay with me until I finish the lecture. Then I promise we'll go back home" Reid frowned, not liking the situation any more than Jack. He wished he could take the poorly boy home. But at least he would make him as comfortable as possible when he got to the University.
"Alright Jack, you need to stay in this room okay. Don't let anyone apart from me take you out. The toilet is right there. I'll be back in an hour" Reid instructed, passing Jack a large glass of cold water. He put a couple of pillows under Jack's head and passed him a book. "I'll see you later little man" he whispered, tucking a blanket over him.
When Spencer returned to the staff room, Jack was half asleep, clutching onto the only book that Spencer had. "Hey Jack, how you doing?" Spencer asked, crouching down to his level.
"A little bit better. I threw up though" Jack muttered, wrapping the blanket tighter around him.
Spencer frowned, hiding the panic inside of him. Jack had been sick again, and he was on his own. He didn't have no one there to comfort him. "Let's go home, then we'll phone Daddy and tell him how you feel" Spencer smiled, folding up the blanket and washing up the glass.
Spencer bundled the boy into the car, turning up the heater to ensure Jack wasn't too cold. Aaron and the team had better hurry their ass up and solve the case. He didn't know how to cope with a sick child.
As soon as they got home, Spencer checked Jack's temperature and gave him some medicine. Then he put Jack on the sofa, wrapped a load of blankets around him and pillows under him. Jack effectively looked like a marshmallow.
"Spencer, can I have some ice-cream while we watch Despicable Me?" Jack requested. Spencer was sure that the kid had a trick for opening his eyes that wide. "Please" Jack pleaded, bottom lip wobbling. So Spencer did what anybody would in that situation. He gave in.
So they sat there for a couple of hours while watching movies. Jack had two bowls of mint ice cream while Spencer had coffee piled high with sugar. Spencer was, in his head, correcting the mistakes that the film was making. There was no way scientifically, even for an evil genius, to actually shrink the moon without having any effect on the earth. There was no way that a moon would be able to shrink and then fit into a spaceship.
"Come on Jack, lets have a bath and then I'll call Daddy" Spencer smiled, leading the 7 year old upstairs. A nice warm bath would definitely make the boy feel better and hopefully sleepy. Making sure the bath was warm enough, he quickly bathed Jack.
"Hey baby, I've got a poorly boy who needs his Daddy" Spencer said quietly, while Jack was getting dressed into his Pyjamas.
"What? Is Jack alright?" Aaron asked, worry clear in his voice.
"Jack is perfectly fine, he's just got a temperature. He threw up a couple of times but I've gave him some medicine, some ice cream and a bath" Spencer informed the worried father.
"Thank you Spencer. Can I talk to him?" Aaron sighed, shifting in his seat.
"No Aaron, you may not talk to your son who is ill. Instead your sexy boyfriend is going to hang up" Spencer rolled his eyes.
"Funny Spence. You wait until I get back" Hotch replied dryly, while Spencer handed the phone to Jack.
"Hey Jack, I've heard you're not feeling well. What's the matter with you?" Aaron greeted softly.
"I've got a poorly head and I keep being sick" Jack groaned, taking comfort in the sound of his Daddy's voice. He always did make Jack feel better.
"Is that so? Well when I come back I'll have to take you and Spencer out somewhere. Do you think that will make you feel any better?" Aaron smiled.
"Yey! Daddy! Where would we go?" Jack beamed, climbing into bed.
"Anywhere you want to go little man" Aaron assured, wishing that he could be there at home with his lover and son.
"When are you going to come home Daddy?" Jack asked, biting his lip. He missed his Daddy SO much!
"Jack I'm on the plane right now buddy. But you can't tell Spencer right now. It's a surprise, so keep hush on it buddy. I'll be there when you wake up" Aaron promised his son.
"Aww but Spence would want to know. Can I stay up for you?" Jack pouted, unable to contain himself.
"Not today son, maybe tomorrow we'll have a late night together. It's late Jack. Go to sleep, goodnight. I love you" Aaron compromised, picking up a case file.
"I love you too Daddy, goodnight" Jack yawned, resting his head on his pillow.
Spencer popped into Jack's bedroom. "Finish buddy?" he asked, taking the phone from him. Jack nodded sleepily, burying himself into the blankets. "Hey Aaron, yeah he's falling asleep. I miss you too, love you. Yeah I'm fine. I'll see you soon" Spencer sighed, hanging up.
"Hey Jack, you're falling asleep" Spencer smiled, tucking the boy in.
"Can I have more ice-cream tomorrow?" he murmured, half asleep. Spencer chuckled at the innocence of the boy.
"We'll see" he nodded, stroking Jack's hair. "I hope you feel better in the morning. You know where I am if you need me" Spencer whispered, kissing Jack's head.
"Goodnight Papa" Jack breathed, falling into sleep.
Spencer stared at the little boy in the bed for a whole 10 minutes. Jack had called him Papa. Not Daddy obviously, Aaron was Daddy but… did that mean Jack considered him as a father figure? Of course Jack had accepted him and Aaron together easily. It meant that Uncle Reid was now over all the time.
But… he had the Reid effect! Children didn't normally like him. And they especially didn't want him to be their father. Being godfather to Henry was enough. Could he really be a dad to Jack?
Reid frowned, making his way to bed. His thoughts were conflicting. Of course he wanted to be Jack's Dad, more than anything. But all he could think about was that he Dr Reid with 3 PhDs didn't deserve the chance to be a dad. Especially not with Aaron's son. Not with Jack.
Hotch sneaked into his house, dropping his go bag by the door and toeing off his shoes. It was 2 o'clock in the morning and he didn't have to be in to work tomorrow. That meant that he didn't have to get out of bed at all tomorrow. Well except taking Jack to school if he was better.
Talking about his son, he crept into his room. Jack was lying with the night light on, eyes shut and holding on firmly to a bear that Garcia had brought him on his 5th birthday. He stroked his son's hair away from his eyes. His temperature was still slightly high but it had broke. He should be well enough to go to school tomorrow.
Knowing that one of the most important men in his life was fine and well, he proceeded to the next one. Spencer was lying in bed, the covers wrapped tightly around his waist. But instead of his face being peaceful and beautiful, it was distorted, showing the distress evident in his dreams.
"Spence" he breathed, wrapping his arms around Spencer's waist. Spencer didn't wait but did snuggle back into the arms of his lover. "Baby, wake up now" he whispered as Spencer shivered in his arms.
Spencer pulled himself into reality as he heard those familiar words. There was strong arms around his waist and a body pressed against his back. Turning swiftly, he looked into the warm eyes of his lover.
"Aaron? What are you doing here?" Spencer breathed, stroking Aaron's cheek.
"We caught the unsub early. Everyone wanted to get home so here I am. It was meant to be a surprise" Aaron murmured, leaning down to kiss Spencer. "What were you dreaming about?" Aaron asked, watching as Spencer's eyes filled with confusion.
Spencer sighed and pushed Aaron off him. However it wasn't for long, as the young Doctor curled up into the Unit Chief's side. "It's something that Jack said" he murmured, stroking Aaron's chest.
Aaron frowned, wondering what Jack could have possibly said to Jack that had caused Spencer to act like this. Normally Jack and Spencer was as thick as thieves. You couldn't get them apart, so why was his partner of 5 months acting like this. Did Jack not like Spencer no more? It would break his heart, but he would give up Spencer for Jack if he had to. He just really hoped it wasn't true.
"Babe, what did he say?" Aaron whispered, trailing his fingers in Spencer's soft silk hair. He was waiting to hear the worlds that would break them apart. If he clung tighter to Spencer, then it certainly wasn't mentioned.
"He called me Papa" Spencer revealed, as though it was the world's biggest secret.
Hotch laughed, relieved it wasn't anything serious. Well it was but nothing compared to what he was thinking about. Apparently it wasn't a satisfactory answer as Spencer glared at him before rolling away.
"Spence! Baby I didn't mean anything like that" Hotch soothed, pulling him closer.
"If you think your son calling me Papa is funny, laugh away Aaron Hotchner!" Spencer growled.
Hotch frowned, nuzzling his face into Spencer's neck. "Love, I was laughing because I was imagining something worse. I thought you were going to tell me that Jack didn't want you around anymore. But now that couldn't be further from the truth" Aaron explained, pressing soft kisses to Spencer's jaw.
Spencer relaxed slightly and shook his head. "I'm sorry, you're right, I should know that Jack wants to include me more into the family but…" Spencer sighed, biting his lip.
"But what babe?" Hotch wondered, stroking his lover's troubled face.
"I don't deserve the chance to be his Papa. I mean he's your son. Your beautiful son and I- Aaron you two are the most amazing people in the world. How can I be a dad to one of them? I mean I'm shocked that I'm your lover never mind your son's father" Reid rambled, sitting up in bed now.
"I want you to be his father. Jack wants you to be his father. Spence he worships the ground you walk on. I mean when we went to the zoo, he couldn't help but listen to every word out of your mouth as you talked about the animals. Now why don't you think you deserve the chance to be Jack's dad? Which I really want you to be" Hotch told him, grabbing Spencer's hands.
"I know you want me to be, but aren't you scared? I have the Reid effect and I took drugs. Aaron I took drugs that nearly knocked me out. I mean I have no idea about kids. Today Jack was sick so I went to pick him up from the school, which made me late and then… I did the lecture leaving Jack in the staff room. He was all alone when he threw up. That's not being a good dad" Spencer shook his head, a few tears coming down his cheeks.
Aaron turned on the lamp and sat in front of Spencer. "Listen to me Reid, and that's an order. Yes you took drugs but you've been clean for years. The circumstances surrounding your drug habit would make many people crack, but you held on. I'm proud of you, it shows Jack that you can come back from anything. Who cares if you have the Reid effect? Jack loves you. Even today you made yourself late to the lecture. I've never known you late, and as for leaving him when he was sick. Spencer if you could have been there, I know you would have. You are a brilliant dad" Aaron said firmly, making sure he remained eye contact.
"You want me to be Jack's Papa?" Spencer gasped, jumping on Aaron to kiss him.
"I want you to be his Papa. You deserve this!" Aaron groaned, only pulling away enough so he could get the words out.
"I love you" Spencer murmured, pulling on Aaron's hair.
"I love you so much Spencer, I don't think you know" Aaron smiled, letting Reid straddle him.
(1) River Oaks Elementary is actually a school by Quantico. I thought it would be likely that Jack went there, seeing as it's close to the BAU :)
Please review, it's my first Criminal Minds story :D