This one is a prompt that was actually given to me by someone else and I already had a piece that I wrote, well, years ago, that fit the bill oddly enough. So, here it is, un'beta'd, and potentially crap lol
"Spencer finds a mutant child during a case and ends up bring her/him home"
It wasn't sound that drew Spencer's attention. No, it was the emotions that suddenly seemed to explode on the night air, slamming straight into his shields like a solid punch. He stumbled, Morgan's hands saving him from falling to the ground. "Reid? What is it?"
"Someone's terrified." Spencer gasped out. Not just scared, but terrified. Only a strong terror could have hit him that hard while he was shielded like this. He didn't think about what he was doing or who was even with him before he started running in the direction of that fear. He had to help whoever that was. There was no way he could walk away without trying to find out what was going on. He ignored Morgan calling his name and instead raced forward, darting down the nearby alley. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, Spencer shamelessly used his powers to help him make a charged jump from the ground to the top of the fence at the back of the alley. His eyes were already taking in the sight waiting on the other side. There was a child curled behind a dumpster, sobbing hysterically and rocking back and forth. Two men were currently trying to pull the dumpster out of the way to get to the child.
"Hey!" Spencer shouted. He dropped down from the top of the fence, landing the way Remy had taught him so that he absorbed and lessened the impact, feeling only a small twinge in his knee. "What do you think you're doing?"
It was a good thing he was already holding his powers and was prepared for something because a knife came flying at him before he'd finished speaking. A surge of electricity acted as a momentary shield in front of him and he dove sideways, gathering power in his hands. One of the men turned toward him while the other continued to try to move the dumpster. As he looked at them, Spencer vaguely noticed the look to their clothes as well as their masks and his brain caught up with the rest of him. These were Assassins. Son of a bitch. "Just back off." He told them. "And let the child go. No one has to be hurt."
"Y' t'ink y' can hurt us, homme?" One of the men taunted behind his mask. "Run away, b'fore we make y' run. Dis is no business of y'rs."
If there was one thing he had learned, it was that people like this would not back off of their target. Still, he'd had to try. Spencer spared a small bit of power to shield the fence—he could see his friend getting ready to try to scale the fence to help him—keeping Morgan back and away from this fight. Then he gathered raw power in his hands, letting it grow. "You cannot have her." He told them. Then, with a deep, calming breath, Spencer committed himself to his plan and pushed aside all doubt. No matter how out of character this may be, no matter what this meant he had to do, he would not allow a child to be murdered. Not when he could stop it. He committed himself to doing whatever was necessary to stop this.
Instead of charging straight at them, or throwing the energy in his hands, Spencer did something he knew they wouldn't expect. He took the energy in each hand and flattened them out so that held what looked to be a long stick in each hand. Then he moved like a lightning strike, darting in and spinning the first stick towards the man's head. He didn't really need to fight them; he knew that. What he needed was to get close enough in the alley to be able to shock them without getting any charge on the dumpster and frying the child. That was going to be the trick. To do that, he needed to get his hands on them.
It was in his benefit that they had underestimated him, yet they definitely had him outdone on skill. The man made sure to stay out of Spencer's reach, trying instead to use his knives while not touching him, earning Spencer a small cut on his forearm and one on the opposite bicep. But finally the man went to kick him, a foot to the gut that Spencer took. The man must have thought Spencer could only charge his hands. That was his mistake. Spencer let the charge go over his body and up the man's foot, zapping him and taking him down.
A high pitched scream brought Spencer back to the girl. He started to spin at the same time that the man from the dumpster leapt directly onto his back. There was no time to think, no time to blink, before a cord wrapped around Spencer's neck. This man was smarter, though. He tugged back so that he was resting against the dumpster, preventing Spencer from charging him. "Y' charge me, y' charge de girl." The man snarled in his ear. Spencer's hands were at his neck, trying to grab for the cord, trying to get a way to get it off. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe! Fighting for air, Spencer could still hear the girl crying and Morgan shouting his name, but he couldn't focus on them. His legs scrabbled to kick back, to take out anything he could behind him, but the Assassin had moved so that all Spencer hit was the dumpster.
He couldn't charge, but Spencer wasn't completely without weapons. Groping a hand up, he grabbed at one of the hands holding the cord, pushing his fingers at the cloth until skin touched skin. The man wasn't afraid, thinking that Spencer couldn't charge. That wasn't what he was doing, though. With the skin to skin contact helping, Spencer used his empathy, projecting a blast of fear as strong as he could manage, taking what he felt from the girl and feeding it to the man. It was enough of a shock that the man's hands relaxed momentarily and Spencer took full advantage of that. He made his whole body go limp, dropping down toward the ground in a way Morgan had taught him to do. It momentarily choked him once more, but it brought the man down with him and allowed Spencer to roll them both to the side, away from the dumpster. As soon as they were clear, he charged his skin, shocking the man and knocking him out.
The minute the hands loosened around his neck, Spencer grabbed the cord and threw it away, rolling over to his hands and knees to gasp and cough, trying to draw air into his abused lungs. His head was swimming and he was wheezing, but he looked up to try and see if the child was still behind the dumpster. She was. Spencer made himself crawl toward her, lifting one hand when he got close. "It's okay." He said in a low, hoarse voice. Another cough took him and it took a second to breathe past it. When it was done, he tried to speak again, his throat protesting to the attempt. "It's okay, child. Shh. No one's going to hurt you now." He tried to send feelings of calm and safety to her. As best as he could, he tried to remember how he'd seen JJ calm a hysterical Henry and he used that knowledge to try to talk down the child now.
It seemed to be working. Slowly but surely her crying tapered off and she uncurled, looking up at him. Spencer saw then what he hadn't been able to see before. This was no typical child. She was most definitely a mutant, but the poor girl looked anywhere from six to seven years old. Her skin was a dark, dark green, as was her hair, but it was her hands that caught his attention. It looked like her hand was split into a Y, as if she had only two wide fingers instead of a regular palm and fingers, but towards the top they split into separate fingers with small claws, much like a chameleons. A glance down showed him her feet were the same way.
A sound behind Spencer alerted him to someone moving and he reacted instinctively, placing his back toward the girl and lifting a hand full of electricity. He felt the girl dart forward, wrapping tightly around him, arms and legs coming around his waist in an obvious bid for protection from what she perceived as a new threat. Spencer quickly relaxed when he saw it was just Morgan. As the power faded from Spencer, Morgan dropped down to the ground by him, a hand lifting toward his throat. "Jesus, Reid. Are you fucking crazy?"
"It's been…suggested." Spencer wheezed a little. He brought a hand to his throat and touched it, coming away wet. Damn. He was bleeding. He braced one hand on Morgan and started to rise when he saw one of the assassins starting to rise from the ground. Spencer moved quickly, flinging his arm out in front of Morgan to keep him back while lifting the other one and gathering power. "Stick by me, child." He told the little girl. "Don't let go." Her limbs tightened around him as she clung much like a lizard would and Spencer felt something wrap around him; a quick look down showed a dark green tail wrapping around his thigh like a brace and he knew he was right in thinking she had a chameleon physiology. Then his attention was back on the two men rising from the ground. "Just let us go." He told them. "Don't do this."
"I will enjoy killing y'." Said the one who had choked him.
Another voice spoke down the alley, drawing all eyes and almost instantly easing some of Spencer's tension. "Lay one more hand on him and y'll be de one to die." Bella Donna Boudreaux said in a hard, cold voice. The woman came strolling down the alley as regal as any queen in court, dressed casually in slacks and a shirt, yet still displaying her Guild colors proudly. Behind her, silent in the shadows, Spencer's empathy told him there were two more men and most likely there were more he couldn't see or sense yet. She never went anywhere alone.
Belle strode straight to Spencer, ignoring the electrical ball he drew back in to himself. She was fearless as she put her back to the two men and stood directly in front of Spencer. One of her hands came up to touch his throat, his blood staining her fingertips. Then she lifted her eyes to his. "Tell me what happened to y' so I know if'n I need to kill de connards dat did dis."
Spencer knew the threat wasn't an idle one. He put his hand on Morgan's arm, sending him a burst of reassurance and then warning, hoping he would understand to stay quiet. He kept his eyes on Belle's face as he answered her, explaining in detail what had happened from feeling the fear to right when she'd arrived. He knew better than to leave out details; that would only earn him trouble. And right now, no matter that he was momentarily safe, that could change with the blink of an eye and he knew that.
When he was done, Belle turned toward the two men. "Explain."
"She was at the LeFevre property." One of the men said. Apparently that made sense, because Belle nodded slightly. She turned to look at Spencer and the look she gave him had him taking a step back. "No." He knew he was stepping in murky ground here but there was no way he could back down. "No, Belle. I won't let it happen."
"Y'r telling me non on dis?" One of her delicate eyebrows arched, her beautiful face calm and clear.
"I am." One of his hands came to rest protectively over the limbs still clutching at him. He felt the girl's terror as she hid her face against his back and it strengthened his convictions. "I won't let it happen."
"And what about when y' leave? De petit has no family here. She is alone on de streets."
Spencer met her gaze with a firm one of his own. "I won't leave her here."
"Are y' claiming responsibility fo' her? T'ink hard b'fore y' answer dis question." She warned him.
Even with the implications behind her question, he knew what his answer had to be. There was no way he would leave this girl here to be murdered as soon as he was gone. "Yes." He answered without hesitation.
For a moment Belle looked at him, searching his gaze. Then she gave a small nod. "So be it, den." Once more she turned to the two assassins. "De petit is under de protection of de Guild, now. Let it be known dat any who touch her risk punishment such as I see fit." Abruptly her face hardened and she was every inch a deadly looking woman. "Now, get back to de House and await y'r punishment."
"M'dame?" One of the men stupidly said.
The sound of Belle's slap echoed down the alley. "Y' dare question me?" She snarled at him. "By rights, I ought to kill y'." Raising the hand that still bore Spencer's blood, she shoved it in his face. "By shedding de blood of m' husband, y' attack me. Is dat what y' wanted to do, Luis? Was dat what y' wanted?"
"Non, m'dame." Panic was bright in the man's voice.
"I suggest y' run, homme. De both of y'. Now."
The two left quickly, almost melting into the shadows as they hurried away. Belle paid them no more attention. She turned fully back to Spencer again and everything about her softened. She lifted both hands up to his neck, tipping his chin up. From her pocket she pulled a cloth, pressing it against his neck. "It aint too bad. Y'll be sore fo' a while, but y' keep it clean and y'll be fine." She proclaimed. "Y' stop by and see Mattie and she'll give y' somet'ing fo' it, cher."
"Merci, Belle." Spencer told her with a smile.
Apparently Morgan had finally had enough. He stepped past Spencer's hand, moving up to look at the both of them. "Okay, someone explain to me what's going on here." He looked from one to the other, his expression clearly saying he demanded an answer. "What's going on? And did I hear right? Did she call you 'husband', Reid?"
Belle looked Morgan over from head to toe before giving Spencer a look of amusement. "Who's dis?"
"This is my friend and one of my coworkers, Derek Morgan. Morgan, this is Bella Donna Boudreaux, Remy's wife and, by extension and customs that are extremely complicated, my honorary wife as well." Spencer tried to explain. Though Remy had explained it, somewhat, Spencer didn't think now was the time to get into that. At a later time he would try to explain it all to Morgan.
Belle let out a husky laugh and grinned at Morgan. "Remy's m' husband and Spencer's his partner. By old laws and customs, and by de agreements we made, Spencer's m' husband as well. Maybe not by modern laws, but by laws older dan de modern ones. Now, husband, let me see our child."
Those two words, 'our child', told him he'd been right in what he thought she'd meant by claiming responsibility. Damn this town and its traditions and customs and laws that no outsider knew. Yet he wasn't an outsider anymore. By way of Remy and Belle, he was part of this extended family and all the drama and troubles that came with it. By their view, he couldn't claim lack of knowledge on these customs or laws because it was Belle and Remy's jobs to make sure he knew and understood. Though Remy was teaching him, he had by no means taught Spencer everything yet. There was still so much he had to learn. Because of that, Remy had been beyond worried when he found out Spencer was going to New Orleans on a case. He'd called Belle to make sure she would be looking out for him while he was down there, something that had rankled with Spencer but he hadn't protested it. Not that it would have done him any good.
It took gentle coaxing to get the girl to come around to at least his side. "Everything's okay now." He told her gently. "No one's going to hurt you."
"Petit, do y' know who I am?" Belle asked her gently. The little girl peeked out from Spencer and looked at her before nodding. Belle smiled at her. "Dat's bon, petit. Den y' know dat, when I say y'r safe, I mean it, oui?" This time the girl nodded a little quicker. "Now, why don't y' come and see me fo' a minute and we talk, d'accord? We'll talk about women t'ings dat de men here don't need to hear, yeah. Y' just come with me fo' a bit."
It amazed Spencer to see how easily the girl made the transfer to Belle's arms. The woman settled her easily on her hip as if it were natural for her. Like this, Spencer got a better look at the girl and he realized her skin had changed. Instead of the dark green, it was brighter now. Yes, the girl's physical mutation definitely was chameleon related, though judging by her size and his estimate of her age, her powers wouldn't have manifested yet. She was nowhere near puberty.
Seeing him looking at her, the girl bowed her head, lowering her eyes, and Spencer could feel the shame in her. He followed his heart, bringing a hand up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. "Don't hide your face, honey. You're a beautiful little girl." He brought that hand down, cupping her chin and tipping her head up so that she looked at him again. Then he smiled sweetly at her. "Don't be ashamed of who you are. Be proud of who you are. You're a very, very special little girl."
"Oui, y' are, petit." Belle reassured her. She pressed a kiss to the girl's temple. Then she looked up at Spencer and smiled. "Y' come and pick her up in two hours' time from Mattie's. I'll get her cleaned up and with some fresh clothes. On m' honor, on m' life, no harm will come to her. Y' go get y'rself cleaned up and go give husband a call." Leaning in, Belle gave Spencer a firm kiss. Then she pulled back and started to walk away. "Je t'aime, mon mari."
"Je t'aime, ma femme." Spencer called back automatically. When she was gone, he pinched the bridge of his nose to try and combat the headache. He opened his eyes to find Morgan staring at him, a look of utter confusion on his face. He let out a sigh and tried to smile at him. "Come on, Morgan. Let's get to the hotel. Once were there, I'll explain as best as I can. Then I need to call Remy and explain to him we've apparently adopted a child."