A/N: Hello, everybody! (grins) This chapter sort of sneaked up on me. We'll see just what wanted to be typed out…

But first, of course… THANK YOU, so so much, for all your love and reviews! There are so many of them already. (beams, and HUUUUUGS) I love ya guys, you know? You make it easy to type for you.

Awkay… Before my mind changes about all this I'm just going to cut the chase. I really hope that you'll enjoy this one!

Subzero

June 30th, 2013

In the end Derek was forced to go back to work. Erin Strauss' order was simple and stone hard – according to her a family emergency can only take for so long. Due to his broken wrist Spencer was still on a sick leave, which meant that for the most part he was home alone with Matthew.

Or well, perhaps not entirely alone. As soon as she heard of their situation Fran announced that she had absolutely no reason to hurry back home. Even though she knew next to nothing about autistic children she was the mother of three, whom she raised all alone for several years. She was more than excited to fuss around Spencer's apartment, making it look like she didn't even notice the genius' slight awkwardness around her. Desiree and Sarah stayed behind as well, which meant that all of a sudden Spencer's life was full of estrogen. It was quite possibly even more terrifying than the reality of being a special needs child's full time parent.

That late afternoon Spencer's thoughts were, for once, not on his son but on his partner. The day before the team had taken off towards Milwaukee for a case. He didn't know the details, of course, but from the look in Derek's eyes when they said goodbye he could tell that it was a bad one. Since then there hadn't been a word and Spencer was slowly losing himself into the dangerous swamp of worst case scenarios. It was the most horrible feeling in the world, to not know exactly where the one he loved was and if he was going to come back home safely. It placed a very unpleasant taste into his mouth.

Spencer was barely aware of what he was doing until he felt a extremely sharp stab of pain on his finger. He hissed, instinctively looking down. The knife that'd been supposed to chop vegetables had cut his finger instead. He groaned.

Typical…

"Spencer?" Fran, who'd been cooking some pasta nearby, was instantly alerted. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Spencer swallowed, feeling even more pathetic than he did a couple of moments ago. He tried to hide the finger. "It's just a scratch."

Fran didn't appear convinced. "Let me see that." She sighed while beginning to tend to him like only a mother can. "Derek wasn't lying when he said that you're accident prone, dear." All of a sudden her eyes were on him, sharp and observant. Like those of a profiler on duty. "You've seemed distracted. I certainly hope that it's because of my son."

A slight amount of heat appeared to his cheeks. He looked down towards his by then bandaged finger and twisted it although the motion hurt. "I'm… just not used to not going with him."

Fran gave him a sad smile. "I can imagine. Back when Derek's dad was still alive…" She sighed and took a deep breath. "When Derek announced that he'd follow in his dad's footsteps it took all I had not to slap him."

Spencer couldn't help smiling at that.

He was just planning on continuing cooking when footsteps entered the room. The look on Sarah's face made him feel uncomfortable inside his own skin. "Matthew's waking up. He's coughing a lot."

Spencer frowned, worry forming a ball into his stomach. Matthew had been sleepier than usual that morning but he'd blamed it on the tantrum that took until two in the morning to subside. He was on his way towards the child's room in an instant. "Does he have fever?"

Sarah shook her head. "I don't think so. I haven't checked yet, though."

By then they were already standing by the doorway of Matthew's room. The child was curled up in his bed, firmly under blankets. There was a somewhat spaced out look in his half closed eyes. The sound of those wheezing coughs tore Spencer's chest.

His son was not fine.

It hurt, more than he'd ever be able to vocalize, that even in this situation he couldn't touch the child, couldn't offer any comfort. Trying hard not to become choked up he sat slowly to the bedside, placing one of his hands testingly only an inch from his son. The child didn't touch it, didn't seem to even really acknowledge it. But at least Matthew knew that he wasn't alone anymore. Ever so slowly the child's eyes closed fully and there, under his father's watchful eyes, sleep came.

Spencer was by no means calming down just yet. His already tensed up muscles didn't loosen at all when Sarah spoke all of a sudden. "Look… I've been meaning to talk to you about something." He felt her eyes on him even though his eyes remained on his son. "It's only natural that any parent does whatever they can for their child. He's the first priority in your life."

Spencer swallowed, shifting with discomfort. Was he… accused of something? It took a while before he managed to squeeze words. "He is."

Sarah's whole demeanor changed, making the room's temperature drop several degrees. Was it a minute or a year later when she finally spoke? "I'm going to be fully honest with you, Spencer." Her eyes were piercing. "Right now you're the most important person in this entire world to my brother. I've always been protective of him – that's why I'm very worried."

Spencer frowned, feeling a sudden urge to shield his son from her sight. "Why would you worry?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, most likely without her even noticing it. "Because Derek deserves hell a lot more than this madness you've pulled him into. You should understand that if you love him as much as he loves you."

Spencer felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice cold water on him. His toes and fingers felt numb. There wasn't even a single coherent thought inside his head. Only static.

And then the apartment's doorbell rang. Spencer heard through a thick fog how Fran opened the apartment's door and Desiree walked in with light, excited steps. "Are you ready to see the first pictures of my little angel?"

July 1st, 2013

Derek came back home from a case at the break of dawn. It was… suspiciously quiet. With Spencer and Matthew it shouldn't have been that quiet.

He frowned, scanning through Spencer's aparment with his eyes. His skin crawled. "Spence? Baby? Mattie? Are you guys home?"

Only the soft hum of a refrigerator answered him.

Derek was sadly aware of how easily trouble seemed to find his younger lover. That's why he was on the verge of having a small panic attack until a key was twisted in the apartment's door before it was pushed open. In came a visibly tired Spencer, who looked like he'd seen a ghost upon spotting him. In a matter of seconds the look of stun turned into a radiant smile and he was pulled into a huge, tight hug. "'Sorry. I was supposed to be here when you come back."

Derek hugged back, inhaling the familiar scent of his partner. "You have no idea of how much I've missed you", he sighed. Then, with the emotional turmoil easing slightly, he frowned. "Where… were you, anyway?"

Appearing far from happy Spencer showed him a small pharmacy's plastic bag. "Mattie's got a cold. I had to get him some medicine." Seeing his look of worry the younger man nodded towards the boy's room. "Go and take a look."

That he did, followed closely by Spencer. What he found brought a smile to his face. There, in his bed, Matthew was curled up for warmth and fast asleep. The child's cheeks were slightly red from fever. On a chair beside the bed sat Desiree, also sleeping. One of her hands was very close to the child's while the other rested on her belly.

Yes. If Derek had had any doubts and fears whatsoever before now he knew for sure. His sister was going to be a fantastic mother.

"Sarah took your mom to do some shopping, to give her the chance to unwind", Spencer explained in a whisper, careful not to disturb the two. "Desiree promised to stay here in the meantime."

Still smiling Derek closed the door, leaving the two to rest. In an instant his eyes were on Spencer, who'd never once let go of his hand. "So…", he started in a purring tone that definitely had a meaning. "Are you going to welcome me properly?"

Spencer didn't hesitate for even a second.

As it turned out the rest of the day wasn't quite as pleasant. Almost as soon as the two were finished with their… activities and Desiree had left Matthew started throwing up. Such a reaction of his body startled the child quite badly, causing him to have nothing short of a panic attack that made him throw up all over again. If there was some sort of a bitter humorous edge to two adults running around after a autistic, nauseous and feverish child he failed to see it. Derek felt a tiny pulse of relief that made him hate himself when the chaos finally ended with Matthew tripping down and getting a nosebleed.

At the end of it all it was finally quiet, at very least, as they sat on the living room's floor. Or well, Spencer and he sat leaning against the couch while Matthew was fast asleep on the floor before them, pale and shivering slightly in his sleep. The fever was most likely spiking up. There were traces of tears on the child's cheeks but the adults fough desperately to keep themselves from crying. The smell of blood and vomit refused to leave Derek's nose. Some red still stained the child's face, clashing violently against his innocence.

"Derek… What are we doing?" Spencer whispered in the end.

Derek's mouth opened and he hoped from the bottom of his heart that he'd managed to produce words of strength and encouragement. Instead all he could whisper back was a barely audible "I don't know". He'd never felt as scared in his life.

Spencer's quivering fingers slipped through his. He held back with the sheer power of despair.

July 4th, 2013

JJ had been a mom long enough to develop a certain sixth sense when it came to detecting trouble before she faced it. Her senses tingled when she knocked on Spencer's door that afternoon, only to realize that it was open. Spencer never left his door open. "Spence?" she called out somewhat cautiously, suddenly wishing that she'd taken her gun along although the whole team was on a day off. "Derek?" No answer. Fighting the urge to panic she barged right in – to find a sight she certainly had not expected.

There on the couch sat Spencer, his face buried into his hands and trembling slightly. The man's hair was a mess and he looked ready to break down right there and then. He'd also lost weight, she noticed with a great deal of alarm. With how slim he'd always been she hadn't seen it before but now it was blatantly obvious. Had Derek noticed?

She swallowed, barely daring to approach. "Spence?"

He shivered, clearly not having even noticed her before. He appeared embarrassed while wiping his eyes and fighting desperately to smile. "Hi. I… I'm sorry, but… The playdate will have to wait. Mattie's still sick. I took him to a doctor this morning. He was screaming and crying all night but he's finally sleeping, now."

JJ tried not to wince. Oh no… She then looked around. "Where's Derek?"

Spencer looked away but she noticed it. Guilt and pain, a great deal of it. "He… had to go and walk Clooney. The poor dog's been neglected lately." He then swallowed. And finally, finally the confession came from deep within his heart and soul. "Mattie… Mattie scratched and kicked him, this morning, when we had to pull him from underneath the bed to take him to the doctor. I've… I've seen him like that before, but…" The words faded away as tears filled the man's eyes. He tried to wipe them away but wasn't fast enough.

Her heart breaking into tiny pieces JJ approached, then took a seat beside her dear friend. Not even thinking about it she grabbed his hand and squeezed, tightly. "Look, Spence… Mattie isn't like the other kids. And now he's delirious from fever. Derek understands."

Spencer's sigh sounded like a strangled gasp. "He shouldn't have to."

Deciding to divert the conversation elsewhere JJ glanced towards the closed door of Mattie's room. "So… What did the doctor say?"

Spencer sighed, rubbing his face with both hands. Suddenly he looked very old. "That I'm over reacting. He focused on me with all his questions. My career and its affects on me, my absence from Mattie's life, my relationship with Derek, the fact that Mattie now lives with two men, how he ended up living with me in the first place…" The man gulped, seeming ready to throw up. "He… He basically told me that I'm a hazard to my son. That I'm not fit to be a parent."

This time JJ did wince. No parent should have to go through that when their child was sick and possibly needed help. She squeezed his hand even more tightly. "I… I'm so sorry, Spence."

Spencer nodded faintly. "I know."

The two of them sat in a silence for the longest time until JJ finally decided that enough was enough. "I don't know everything about your relationship so you can tell me if I'm wrong, but… I know you pretty well. These complications with Derek… They're eating you up alive. And right now you're sitting here when you could have some one on one time to talk things through."

Spencer frowned, a troubled look in his eyes. "But Mattie…"

She smiled. "I'm happy to keep an eye on him for a couple of hours. Henry's spending a little time with Will in the meantime." She grew slightly more serious. "Trust me when I say this, Spence, because this is one of those few situations in which I know more than you do. The more taboos and unresolved things there are between you the more distance you create. I care about you two too much to let that happen."

The celebration day's far from good start was weighing Derek's mind as well. That's why his head was full of troubled thoughts when he entered his own apartment. Clooney nearly took him down with excitement as soon as he'd entered.

Derek chuckled, petting the canine's head. "I guess you've been seeing too little of me lately, haven't you? I'm sorry, old boy." He petted the dog again, earning a extremely satisfied bark. "What do you say if we'd take a walk, just the two of us? Then we'll go and spend the night with papi-Spence and Mattie."

If the dog hadn't been excited before it certainly was now. Derek almost tripped over the hyperactive animal on his way to get a leash. He'd just found it when the doorbell rang. Derek frowned. Wasn't Spencer supposed to be home with Matthew? Why wasn't the man using the key he'd given him?

Derek found it hard to hold back a chuckle when he found Clooney practically bouncing behind the door. "Calm down, okay? You know how easy it is for you to scare him."

The one standing behind the door wasn't Spencer, though. It was Sarah. There was a unreadable look on his sister's face.

Derek stiffened slightly, their latest conversation still far too clear and fresh in his mind. "Not today, Sarah. Please."

She didn't retreat. "I want to talk to you, alright? And either I'll do it here in the hallway or inside your apartment."

The last thing Derek wanted was to share his family's sore spots with his neighbors. That's why he let her inside although everything inside him screamed against it and closed the door. Instead of facing her, however, he strode towards the bedroom. "If you came here to insult Spencer all over again you can walk away right now. I'm done listening to that load of crap."

"What does it take to make you understand that I'm only doing this because I care about you?" In the bedroom she grabbed his arm, managing to brush the exact spot Matthew had kicked particularly hard. He shivered at the pain her touch caused and she noticed. "Derek?" Her voice was genuinely worried. "Are you… okay?"

Derek gritted his teeth, not wanting to voice what he had to. "Mattie… just had a very bad tantrum when Spencer was taking him to the doctor this morning." He didn't like the look that appeared into his sister's eyes. "It's not a big deal, Sarah."

Sarah's eyes widened with disbelief, then narrowed once more. "He hurt you physically and my guess is that it's not the first time. And you're telling me that it's nothing?"

Derek felt ready to explode with frustration and anger. He had to breathe several times before he trusted himself enough to talk. "He's a sick child, Sarah! Delirious from fever and scared out of his mind. You can't seriously be blaming him!"

"I'm not blaming anyone. I'm trying to make you understand that this life isn't doing you any good." She wiped her eyes with a unsteady hand. "With… With everything you've been through you deserve peace and harmony. Don't you see that? You deserve a life where you don't have to be careful with your every word and move, afraid that you'll set someone off."

Derek's heart was beating so fast that he didn't know how much more it'd be able to take. It was racing, raging, breaking. "What good would any of that be if I'd live with someone I don't even love?"

Sarah's eyes were full of despair. "You'd learn to love someone else. Someone with hell a lot less package."

Derek felt like someone had punched him and he actually shuddered, his eyes narrowing. It took a very long moment before he managed to speak. "Sarah… You're my sister and I love you, I really do. But right now… Right now I can't even look at you. So leave, before one of us says something that can't be taken back."

Sarah shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere, Derek. I'm not finished yet." She took a step closer although he must've radiated threat. "Do you know why I'm so desperate to get you out of this before it's too late? Why I can't stand looking at you like this?"

Derek's eyebrow twitched. If she wouldn't stop this…! "I guess you're about to tell me", he bit out far more harshly than he'd meant to.

Sarah wasn't startled. Instead she looked at him directly to his eyes. "Because I don't want you to become a victim again."

Derek's very first reaction was to gag dryly, several times, as memories flashed through his mind – dark clips he should've forgotten long ago, moments Spencer had helped leave behind. Then he slammed his fist forward, so that it hit the wall right next to his sister's head. "You… have no right to say something like that", he snarled.

Sarah took a deep breath, appearing slightly startled but not ready to back down. A slight distance away Clooney growled, then whined, clearly not understanding how it was supposed to take the situation. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again, Derek. I love you too much to let that happen all over again. I love you enough to make you hate me if it's necessary."

Derek swallowed thickly, guilt washing over him along with exhaustion, rage and several other feelings he wasn't ready to process yet. "I could never hate you. You know that." His eyes narrowed, though. "Spencer is always going to be in my life, Sarah. It's my own choice and you'll have to respect that. No love affair is ever easy but I want to face those challenges – with both him and Mattie."

Sarah sighed, clearly exasperated. "That's always been the problem with you. You don't know when to give up on something before it's too late."

In the middle of their argument the siblings failed to hear that at some point the apartment's door was opened, the steps approaching, the door closing once more. When they finally left the room over an hour later, still snarling at each other, they also didn't notice how Clooney sat right before the front door, staring at it longingly and whining loudly.

TBC

A/N: Oh dear… Talking about drama. (sighs) It was hard for me to write this. I hate it when such loving families (the Morgans, Morgan/Reid/Mattie) have all those enormous complications. (winces) Who hard the siblings fighting? Are Spencer and Derek going to get through this together?

Soooo, fine crème brûlée or grande poop? PLEASE, leave a note and tell me your verdict! It'd mean a lot to get this story some love. (gives puppy's eyes)

I really hope that I'll see you all next time! This story's leapt over the halfway mark, so we'll see what unfolds next…

Peace out!

Guest: 'Glad to hear you liked it! (beams)

I agree, actually. Sarah's a very protective person, possibly even more so than Derek. Let's just hope that things work out for the best in the end, without too much heartbreak and tears. The last thing those three need is even more drama in their lives.

Colossal thank yous for the review!

Guest (2): Quite a mess, no? (sighs) Awww, Fran's such a grandmom! (grins) We'll see what's up ahead that family next…

Massive thank yous for the review!