A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews and alerts. They are greatly appreciated as well as everyone else reading this story.

Part of this chapter touches on "Memoriam", the episode after "The Instincts" in Season 4 of CM.

*sets out tissue box*

Chapter 4

Rather than get into a deep discussion with his mother's bedtime approaching, Reid spent the rest of the evening telling Diana more about the Hotchner family, the rest of the team and the times they spent together. Diana smiled at his stories. "I never thought it was important that you learned how to swim," Diana said. "But I'm glad you did."

"Emily and I do a lot of swimming together at the fitness center at Quantico," he smiled. "Part of my exercise program."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Tisha stuck her head in. "We're serving a late night snack in the dayroom if the two of you are interested," she smiled.

Diana stood up. "They serve fruit Spencer and I like a fruit cup before I go to bed." Reid smiled and followed her into the dayroom. Diana enjoyed her snack while they made small talk. When she finished, Diana yawned a bit.

Spencer rubbed her arm. "You go and get ready for bed. I'm gonna stay with you tonight, so I'll join you in a bit." Diana nodded her acceptance and left the room. Reid went outside to enjoy the desert night air and cleared his head. By the time he returned, Diana was already in bed, accepting her sleeping pill from the night nurse. Reid noticed a pillow and blanket on the couch. He took one of the books off of Diana's nightstand, sat on the side of her bed and read his mother to sleep.

-00CM00-

Reid woke to his mother silently shutting her door behind her as she left. He rolled over, rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch. He shook his head at the time. It was a little after eight. He went into the bathroom and noticed a towel and wash cloth laid out for him.

He joined his mother in the dayroom a half hour later showered and shaved as she was enjoying the last of her bagel and cream cheese, while writing in her journal. She looked up and smiled at him as he approached her table. "You look rested," she said with approval.

"I feel rested; I haven't slept that well and that long for quite a while," he smiled. Diana went back to her journal. Knowing that she had recently received her medication for the morning, he gave his mother her space and went downstairs to the area where meals were served for some of the patients that were in the facility on a temporary basis. He spotted a big urn of coffee and made his way to that first. After dosing the brown elixir with his usual amount of sugar and downing a couple quick sips, he made his way to the serving line and grabbed a tray.

A bit later, he walked into the dayroom on the second floor and found his mother settled in an overstuffed chair, looking out the window, her ever present journal opened in her lap. Reid pulled up a near-by chair and sat down next to her. Diana looked at the coffee cup in his hand. "You drink too much of that," she gently scolded. Good thing she doesn't know about the amount of sugar I put in he smiled to himself. "Spencer?"

The genius mind kicked in quickly. "I was thinking about what you would say to Blake. The amount of coffee she drinks makes my amount minuscule," he smiled.

Diana just shook her head. "Damn stuff is part of the government's conspiracy to rot your body." Spencer smiled at her and they made small talk a bit about how they both had slept.

"I checked on you in the middle of the night," she smiled. "You were sleeping like a lamb."

"It felt good," Spencer smiled. "Maybe knowing my mom was in the room helped with that."

Diana did her clicking noise. "Moms have that power," she smiled.

Reid took her hand. "Mom," he sadly smiled. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it Spencer?"

He looked it her eyes. "Maeve; Dr. Maeve Donovan."

Diana looked into the eyes of her only child; her son and immediately recognized the hurt and grief she saw in those eyes that she loved; the eyes that went directly to his soul. She squeezed his hand.

Spencer Reid for the next hour and half, in the solitary corner of the dayroom that he and his mother shared, poured out every detail of his hurt and loss.

Dr. Norman, checking the dayroom, noticed what was happening. He kept his distance and yet hovered to make sure they were not disturbed while keeping an eye on Diana.

When Spencer finally finished, he put his head down on the arm of his mother's chair, softly crying. Diana, holding his right hand with her left, took her right hand and gently rubbed her son's head. It's the only way she knows how to console her child Dr. Norman noted. Yet, he nodded his approval at her gesture. If she can do that for her son when he is so obviously hurting and she isn't having one of breaks, she's making some progress he noted.

Mother and son stayed like that for minutes, long after Spencer's eyes could give no more tears. Dr. Norman heard footsteps behind him and a voice asked, "What's going on with Diana."

William Reid had entered the room, his view partially blocked by Dr. Norman. He could only see Diana shaking her head. Dr. Norman turned to the voice and just nodded his head to the scene. It was then that he saw Spencer. He took a step to join them. Dr. Norman gently grabbed his arm. "Bill, not so fast; let them have their time."

When Spencer finally lifted his head off the chair's armrest, Diana gently rubbed her right finger across his cheek. "I knew something was going on with you. Your letters for so long sounded like you were distance; like you were just writing me to, well, write me your daily letters."

"I was mom," he confessed.

"What changed?"

"Cait; and a talk we had at Thanksgiving," he smiled. Diana looked at him with surprise. She remembered their conversation last night that linked Dr. Barkley to the wonderful woman who would write her a letter every now and then, telling her about her son. And she remembered Spencer's long, glowing letter about his recent Thanksgiving dinner. He had connected the dots in her mind to where the dinner actually happened. "Remember what Cait wrote mom? On the back of your Christmas card? The 'mom secret pact'?" Diana smiled, putting it all together. Reid looked into her eyes. "She told me I needed my mom; to finally move on from losing Maeve."

It was Diana's turn for tears in her eyes. "Mom, please," he said rubbing her shoulder with his reassuring smile. "I got my mom that I needed." Diana looked him in the eye. "And while there's a part of me that will always love and miss Maeve, I finally feel like I'm really ready to heal." He smiled at her. "Thanks to the mom secret pact," he softly said.

Diana looked at him with a soft smile and did her click. "Moms know."

"Yes, they do," Spencer smiled, giving her cheek a soft kiss.

Dr. Norman rubbed Bill's shoulder and nodded him in. Bill shook his head. "I'll give them a few more minutes," he smiled. They both stood and watched mother and son, with no more words, enjoying their time together, holding hands.

William Spencer looked at Dr. Norman with a smile and gently made his way to the two of them. Out of the corner of his eye, Reid saw someone approaching. His first instinct was that it would be Dr. Norman. Taking a closer look, he recognized his dad. Yet, with what Cait had told him, the sensory tissues in his brain did not register resentment. "Dad," he looked at him, "what are you doing here?"

"Hello Spencer," he smiled. "I'm off until the second of January. I thought I'd drop in and see your mom."

Diana smiled brightly at his presence and he rubbed her shoulder. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding."

"Not at all Bill; Spencer and I have just been talking a bit. It's good to have him here," she smiled.

"I agree," he smiled back. "How are you Spencer?"

His son smiled. "A lot better; and you dad?" Bill's heart soared at the tone of his son's voice.

"I'm doing well Spencer; you look great." Spencer smiled.

"The government fascists are making him work out," Diana intoned.

Father and son shared a soft look and shook the comment off. "Are you off from your job Spencer?"

"Yes dad; the Bureau has a policy with vacation time; use them or lose them."

William Reid smiled. "It's the same with my job," he winked.

They spent an hour together. This is best time I can ever remember with the two of them Spencer noted in his brain as they talked and laughed at bit. Father and son played along with Diana's skewed memories of being together as a family.

Diana yawned. "Time for your afternoon nap Diana," Bill asked.

"Yes it is; I don't have to lecture until three." She looked at him with a wink. "You know I always snuck one in after lunch."

"I remember," he smiled. "Let's get you to your room." The Reid family made their way to Diana's room and got her tucked into her bed.

They left the room together and Bill looked at his son. "I'd love to spend some time with you Spencer."

He smiled. "I'd like that too dad. How's the weather outside?"

"It's gorgeous."

"Care to take a walk." Bill smiled and they headed down the steps.

When they exited the doors, Spencer took a deep breath of the afternoon desert air and looked towards the sun, slowly letting the breath out. He stretched largely and then let his body relax. He looked at his dad.

Bill looked back at him. "Here or someplace else?"

"Dad, if you don't mind….."

"Anywhere but here," he smiled. They moved to the parking lot and jostled a bit about who would drive. Spencer looked at his dad's hybrid vehicle.

"With all due respect dad, the mileage on my rental is part of the package and if you haven't noticed, my legs are just a bit longer than yours."

William Reid smiled at his son that had at least four inches on him in height. They got in Spencer's rental. Bill directed him to the park where he and Riley once played Little League baseball together. He looked at his son. "Too many memories Spencer?"

"No dad; it fits," he smiled. "This is what sorta brought us back together in a way."

"Spencer, you do realize my reluctance to help you back then was because I wanted to protect your mother."

Reid looked at him with a smile. "I know dad." They exited Spencer's vehicle. "Dad, what happened to Lou Jenkins?" Bill looked at him. "Sorry dad; I know he was your friend, but that was one case I didn't want to follow up on."

Bill smiled. "I took his case; worked it pro bono," he sadly smiled. "I owed him that." Spencer nodded his head. "Given the circumstances, the length of time and your mother's condition, we accepted a plea bargain from the DA and the judge agreed. He got sentenced to seven to ten years at a minimum security facility with a chance at parole after three years. He's been back home for over a year; rebuilding his life and not missing a session with his parole officer. He should be clear in another year."

"Good for him," Spencer smiled as they started to walk.

They were quiet for a few minutes and then Bill looked at his son. "Care to tell me what you and your mother were talking about?"

Spencer slowly shook his head. "Not right now dad, if you don't mind. I got hurt and lost someone that I loved; deeply. I'd rather not go through that again this close to reliving that memory."

"I understand Spencer." They walked a bit more.

"Dad," Spencer said, stopping him. "There is something else I need to talk about though." Bill looked at him. "And it's not pleasant memory as well and one I know mom can't handle. Bill looked at him. "It would probably spin her over the edge and I don't want to do that. She's doing so well." Bill nodded his acceptance. "However, I think you need to know." He looked at his dad. "It's made me into the person I am now; one I like to think is better."

Bill smiled. "Tell me son."

Spencer outlined it all to his father. His two days in hell at the hands of Tobias Hankel and his split personalities; his drug addiction; how the case in Texas with Owen Savage nearly put him over the brink again. And then he told his dad about Aaron Hotchner's quiet advice when he should have been fired for risking the lives of his teammates.

Bill shook his head. "All I can ask now son is how are you doing?"

Spencer quietly pulled out a coin from his pocket and showed his dad, smiling with pride. "My five year coin dad," he said, handing it to him.

Bill looked it over and handed it back to him. "I'm proud of you son," he genuinely said.

Spencer smiled. "I'm proud of me." They walked a bit more. "But my coin isn't the only one that has saved a life." He proceeded to tell his dad everything that had happened with the team in his tenure, including Rossi saving the lives of the team with Erin Strauss' sobriety coin and sending John Curtis to the fiery hell that he deserved.

"Wow Spencer," is all he could get out. "I knew your job with Bureau was important. I didn't know how much."

Spencer shook him off as they headed back to his car. "It's not me dad; it's us," he smiled.

As they drove back to Bennington, Spencer filled his dad in on all the good times the team shared. Pulling into a parking spot, Bill rubbed his shoulder.

"Sounds like you've got a great family support system Spencer."

"Yeah dad; I do," he smiled. "And they mean the world to me." He paused. "But I've got my own family that I need every now and then," he said, looking at his dad.

William Spencer smiled. "The trip to Grand Canyon together was a good start. But I think we we're both so worried about your mother, we never really got a chance to enjoy it. Let's see if we can make that happen with the progress your mom is making."

Spencer looked at his dad. "And the progress we're making?" He smiled slightly.

"Yes son; with the progress we're making."

"I hope so; I like this feeling," Spencer smiled.

###

A/N: Pro bono means William Spencer worked for free as Lou Jenkins attorney.