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Reid stopped in the entrance as he always did to watch her writing in her journals.

"It's going to be okay," Emily said from his side.

"Emily's right. She's in a good mood today. Her meds have been stable for some time now. This is the best time for you to come here and introduce your baby."

"Come on." Emily said again as she took Reid's hand. "Let's go say hello."

Reid stopped and handed the carrier to Emily. "I think I should go first." He said, giving her a significant look

She squeezed his hand again and he smiled at her. "We'll wait over here." She said, kissing him on the cheek.

"He's an extraordinary young man." Dr Norman murmured as Reid walked over to his mother.

"Yeah… I just wish he didn't have so much pain in his heart."

"It's made him what he is."

"I just wish…"

Dr Norman patted her on the shoulder. "He's very happy. Happier than I've ever seen and I suspect it has more to do with you and this beautiful child than anything else."

"He is happy. I hope this visit will heal what's left of his pain instead of causing more."

"It will." Dr Norman assured her as they watched Reid speak to his mother.

----

His mother sat on her favorite couch facing the window, which put her back to Reid as he approached. His heart pounded in his chest as it always did when he came to see her. His hands began to sweat a bit. He took a deep breath and circled the couch to stand in front of her. Would she recognize him? What kind of mood would she greet him with today? She could switch around so fast.

"Hello mom," He choked out in a bit of a squeak.

She looked up and smiled at him. "Hello Spencer… I've been waiting for you."

"I know mom. I'm sorry I'm late."

"It's okay baby. How are you? You look much healthier than the last time I saw you. Someone's been feeding you."

She looked him up and down and he felt his face getting red. "I always eat mom."

"Don't argue with your mother Spencer. You have the same metabolism as me. We can eat most anything and not gain an ounce."

"Yeah…" He agreed unable to say more.

Her short blond hair had been recently washed and combed. Her clothes were clean and free of wrinkles. She looked like she might be getting ready to go teach a class at the university. He choked back tears because she'd see them and be upset.

"Come sit down next to me honey." She patted the couch.

"Um… First I have someone that wants to meet you." He looked up and caught Emily's eyes. She was watching him and smiling encouragingly.

He nodded his head and she stepped forward with Aaron in his carrier. Dianna turned around and watched them approach.

"Mom… This is my fiancée, Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss."

Emily gave him a look and laughed. "Geez Spencer, it's your mom, not a potential witness."

"Right!" He blushed.

"It's nice to meet you dear." Dianna said and she smiled which had Reid letting out a breath of relief.

"This is Dianna Reid, my mom." He said proudly as Emily sat down on an easy chair that faced the couch, but didn't block Dianna's view of the outside.

"I'm very pleased to meet you ma'am. Spencer talks about you all the time."

Emily took Aaron from his carrier. He'd gone back to sleeping soundly. Reid took the baby and went over to the couch. "This is Aaron, mom."

"Oh… he's so beautiful. He looks just like you did at that age." She enthused.

"That's what I keep telling him. He's got my hair color but that's about it." Emily said giving Reid a playful glare.

"Alright I give up." He held up one long fingered hand.

"It's about time."

"Did you know that most babies look like their fathers in the first year of life?" Dianna said, sounding so much like Reid, it was a fight for Emily not to laugh. "It's an evolutionary response. Scientists believe," Dianna, continued, "it keeps children from being abandoned by the fathers if they see themselves in the babies."

"Now I know where you get it." Emily said giving Reid a little kick to the leg.

"I read a lot." Dianna said and Emily did laugh.

"Do you want to hold Aaron?" Reid said desperately while favoring Emily with a withering look that only made her laughed harder.

"Oh yes… I'd love to if that's okay."

"Of course it is… That's why we came."

He gently placed Aaron into Dianna's arms. Dianna looked at him for a very long time. She ran a hand over his head and down across his cheek. Aaron jerked, but didn't open his eyes. She traced a finger over his lips down to his tiny hands that were perfect little copies of his daddy's hands. Aaron let out a little cry, and then fell silent again as his hand gripped his grandmother's finger in his sleep.

Dianna looked up after long minutes with her dark eyes full of tears.

"Mom… Are you okay?" Reid slid over and put an arm around his mother.

"Yes… He's just so beautiful. He reminds me so much of you. I remember how I felt right after you were born. It was the best time of my life. Thank you for bringing him here."

"You're welcome mom. I love you."

"I love you too baby." Dianna turned to Emily who was wiping away some tears. "Thank you for letting Aaron come see me here. I know it's not the best place for a baby."

"Ma'am -"

"Please call me Dianna."

"Alright… If you call me Emily."

"Okay."

Emily came to sit next to Dianna on the couch. "I wanted us to come here. I want my son to know his grandmother. You're the one that gave a wonderful gift to the world, Spencer."

"Emily!"

"Don't blush Spencer. Your mother knows I'm right."

"She's right Spencer. You are perfection."

Reid kept his eyes on Aaron who was sleeping peacefully in Dianna's arms. He was red up to his ears.

"So how are you Dianna?" Emily was asking. "Is there anything you need or that we can do for you?"

"Some new reading material would be nice." Dianna said giving Reid a very pointed look.

"Okay mom. I'll see what I can find at the Last Word. I'm sure there's something there that's perfect for you."

Dianna beamed at him. "He's such a good boy."

"Mom!"

"Don't be embarrassed Spencer. We mother's always talk about our little boys like that. Don't we Emily?"

"Your mother's right! I can't wait till Aaron's old enough to embarrass."

"You were saying yesterday that you hoped he'd stay a baby forever." Reid said trying desperately to take the attention from himself."

"True…" Emily reached out and took Aaron's other hand in her fingers. "I don't want him to grow up and stop being my little boy."

"He'll always be your little boy." Dianna said wisely, as she beamed down on Aaron. "It won't matter how tall he grows or how smart he gets, he'll always be your baby boy."

"I hope so."

"Trust me," Dianna reached up and touched Emily's hair. "You're going to be a great mom. I can tell."

"Thank you Dianna." It was Emily's turn to blush.

"You don't believe me… Well, I know because of all the wonderful things my boy writes about you. Did you know he's been in love with you for years?"

"Mom!"

Emily grinned at him. He began playing with the edge of Aaron's light blue baby blanket.

"Of course he'd never tell you. I'm glad you made the first move my dear. You would have waited forever for this one to make a move."

"Mother!"

"Alright… That's enough teasing."

Emily laughed as Reid shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I didn't know when I asked him to donate for me how much I cared about him." Emily admitted.

"Of course you did!" Dianna argued. "You just weren't ready to say it. I'm glad you both came to your senses."

"You sound like Garcia." Emily said still laughing.

"Oh… I think I remember her. She's that curvy blond woman that Spencer says is a genius with computers. I don't like computers. The government uses them to spy on us."

"Mom!'

"Don't worry baby… I'm taking my meds, I'm not going to go off on some conspiracy theory and scare off your nice girlfriend" Dianna assured him as Emily's eyes danced.

"I like you Dianna," Emily said enthusiastically. "You couldn't scare me off."

"Thanks my dear… See Spencer, I'm not scaring her off."

"I didn't say that!'

"We're just teasing you Spencer."

"Then stop it!"

"Why!" The too women said at the same time.

Dianna and Emily grinned at him as he threw up his hands in defeat. "Oh do what you want. I'm just sitting here listening."

"So tell me about yourself." Dianna changed the subject.

"Well my parents were Ambassadors, so I grew up all over the world."

"Wonderful… How great to grow up in Europe and be exposed to all that art and -"

Aaron began to cry, interrupting Dianna. "Hey little man… What's the -"

Reid was interrupted by a shrill cry from behind them. "Shut that kid up!" A voice said.

Reid jerked around and saw a patient charging them down. The short woman with carrot red hair pushed past a nurse, knocking her to the floor. "Get out of my way, bitch!"

"Amy!"

The woman ignored Dr. Norman who'd left his place at one end of the room and was signaling for help from the nurse at the desk.

"Shut that brat up!" The woman screamed as she charged.

Dianna jerked back in the couch as Aaron screamed in her arms. When Reid thought back over the events years later it never failed to amaze him the way Emily handled the tiny woman who seemed bent on hurting Aaron.

Emily came to her feet so fast it looked like she was sitting one minute and standing the next second. She grabbed the woman and whipped her around, slamming her up against the wall with one arm twisted up her back.

"Move, or speak, and I'll break your arm." She whispered to the woman as the orderlies dashed belatedly into the room.

"Where were you two?" Dr. Norman bellowed at them. "Get her back to her room and restrained. Now!"

"You freaking bitch. Let me go!" Amy shouted at Emily.

"Settle down Amy. We've got her ma'am." One of the orderlies took the struggling woman away.

"Wow…" Was all Reid could think of to say.

Dianna seemed very unruffled as she rocked her grandson, trying to calm him. He kept screaming so Emily took him.

"I think he's hungry," She said.

"I can show you a place you can feed him if you need privacy."

Emily smiled weakly at Reid and took Aaron away with Dr. Norman.

"She seems okay." Reid said weakly as he collapsed back onto the couch from where he'd sprung to his feet.

"She's a mother… You don't mess with an animal's baby. We're animals Spencer… We feel things."

"I know mom. I hope he's okay."

"Aaron's fine."

Reid looked up at the watery tone in his mother's voice and saw that she was crying. "Mom?"

"It's okay… but I have something I want you to promise me Spencer."

"What mom?"

"Promise me you'll never come back here with Aaron. I don't want to see him again."