The Lost Little One Chapter 10, a criminal minds fanfic

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. I do not own anything you recognize.

AN- This chapter is an early Christmas present for The Celt, who loves Daddy Hotch/kid Spencer scenes. Merry Christmas, my friend!

The part in * comes from the book "An Introduction to the Philosophy of Law" by Roscoe Pound.

Previously on Criminal Minds- Aaron's arms slowly came up and wrapped around Hailey's back. Holding onto each other, the couple let the tears flow as they grieved for their lost loved one.

Hailey worriedly watched her husband pace back and forth as he talked to Rossi on his cell. After a long night of extreme emotions and almost no sleep, she was physically and emotionally spent. She barely had the strength to hold her head up. She had no idea how Aaron was still going. Hailey guessed all the years at the BAU had conditioned his body to go for days on little to no sleep and energy. It had also taught him to hide his emotions, which wasn't a good thing in her eyes. Buried emotions tended to lead to explosive outbursts. And that was something neither one of them needed. Hopefully, that wouldn't happen this time. Aaron had spent a good part of last night crying over the loss of his aunt. And Jackson was still alive. Hailey prayed that he'd make it through. Aaron was closer to Jackson than he'd ever been with his dad. She didn't think he could take it if…she startled at the snap of the cell phone closing. Standing, she walked over and wrapped her arms around her grieving husband. "How is he?" she softly asked.

Aaron sighed. "Jackson's holding his own but the doctors aren't very optimistic. They told Dave that they didn't think he survive the next twenty-four hours; that there was too much damage."

"They obviously don't know Jackson." Hailey observed. "He lives to beat the odds."

That brought a smile to Aaron's face. "He does like to prove people wrong, doesn't he?" Aaron remarked. "He used to drive my father crazy. I remember one time he…" He cut off as the Spencer rushed around the corner and skidded to a stop in the middle of the kitchen. Pasting on a smile he didn't feel, Hotch knelt down and greeted the boy who was at the center of all the trouble. "Good morning, Spencer! Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

The wide eyed boy gave Hotch a slight nod.

"I can handle that!" Hailey said as she hurried over to the counter. She pulled three plates out of the cabinets and silverware from the drawer by the fridge. After scooping breakfast casserole onto all three dishes, she picked them up and took them to the table. "Spencer, you are in for a treat!" she advised as she set the filled plates out. "I made my famous breakfast casserole this morning. It's Aaron's favorite! I think you'll like it, too."

Spencer eyed the adults warily before toddling over to the table and painstakingly hoisting himself into a chair. He waited for the grown-ups to begin eating and then picked up his fork and picked some of the casserole up. The boy tentatively put a bite in his mouth. Smiling, he chewed up the tasty morsel. Spoon flying Spencer quickly gobbled up the rest of the casserole on his plate. Licking his lips, he gazed longingly at the half full glass casserole pan.

It only took a moment for Hailey to notice the boy's hungry stare. Recalling the talk she and Mary had had about the child's eating habits, she swiftly formulated a plan to give Spencer seconds without him thinking he owed her something. She took another bite of her portion and then sighed. Feeling two sets of eyes snap to her, she looked at the curious duo. "I made way too much casserole. I forgot the recipe was enough for a good sized group." She declared. "Aaron, Spencer, do you two think you could eat another helping? I don't want it to go to waste."

Aaron smiled, knowing exactly what his wife was doing. "I think I could find room for another serving." He played along. "What about you, Spencer?"

The boy eagerly nodded.

"Great!" Hailey exclaimed. She picked up Spencer's empty plate, scooped an enormous portion of casserole on it, and set it in front of the four year old.

Spencer's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw the large amount of food on his dish. 'Maybe I'm supposed to share it with smiling man.' he thought. That idea was proved false moments later by Hotch's plate being refilled. A grin slowly crept over Spencer's face as Hailey spooned another helping on her own plate. Realizing the food on his plate was all for him, the little boy hummed his content and eagerly dug into his meal.

After breakfast and clean up, the trio moved into the living room. Spencer crawled onto the couch and turned his attention to the two adults in the room. Spying smiling man packing a briefcase, he cocked his head to one side curiously.

Aaron closed and locked his briefcase and then picked it up. "I'm leaving now. I told Dave I'd stop by the hospital on my way to work." He announced.

Spencer's eyes widened. Smiling man was leaving! But what about him? Was he supposed to go with smiling man? Or should he stay with the bear lady? The four year old glanced from one adult to the other waiting for one of them to tell him what to do. When neither did, he quickly thought over his options. He was more at ease with bear lady. Women never harmed him so he could infer that she wouldn't either. On the other hand smiling man hadn't hurt him yet. He had been nothing but nice to him. And he had made his father go away. Spencer bit his lower lip as he attempted to weigh the odds. It was a hard decision for someone who wasn't used to making them. After several moments of debate, the youngster finally made up his mind. He slid off the couch, ran over to Hotch, and fisted the man's pants leg.

Aaron glanced down at the tug on his pants. Seeing the four year old's hand clamped to his clothes, he sighed. "Spencer, you can't go with me. I'm heading to work." He told the boy. "You need to stay with Hailey."

Spencer tightened his hold in response. There was no way he was letting the man that scared his dad get away.

Hailey walked over and knelt down beside the boy. "Sweetie, Aaron's going to his office. There's nothing for little boys to do at his job." She reasoned. "You need to stay here with me, okay?"

Spencer vehemently shook his head. While he knew she wouldn't hurt him, he also knew she couldn't protect him against his father.

Aaron pinched the bridge of his nose. He needed to go now if he was going to have time to swing by the hospital before work. That left just one thing he could do. "Alright Spencer, you can go with me." He conceded, holding out his hand. "Come on; let's go get your bear and your shoes."

"Aaron, you can't take him with you. He doesn't need to sit in your office all day." Hailey protested. "Besides, he hasn't had a bath yet not to mention the fact that he's still wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday. And we don't have anything to change him into."

"He'll be fine." Aaron assured his wife as they walked down the hall to the guest room. "I'll have someone go by Jackson's and pick up some of his things."

"He'll be bored." Hailey argued.

"I think we can find some things that will keep him busy." Aaron informed his wife. He waited for Spencer to grab his bear and blankie. He then helped the four year old put on and tie his shoes. After pocketing the boy's medications, Hotch took a tiny hand in his and walked out of the room and down the hall. He said his goodbyes to Hailey and once he'd reminded her to be extremely cautious, he walked out the front door with Spencer in tow.

Dave glanced up at the call of his name. He quirked an eyebrow at the approaching duo. "Morning, Aaron" he greeted. "What are you doing with mini me?"

"Spencer refused to stay behind." Aaron replied, the corners of his lips turning up at the boy's new nickname. He stared through the ICU window at his uncle. "How is he?"

"Still holding his own." Rossi told the younger man. "The guy's as tough as they come."

"That he is." Aaron agreed before turning his attention to the four year old beside him. "Spencer, I need to go in this room for just a minute. I want you to stay here with Dave, alright?"

Shaking his head, Spencer tightened his grip on the man's hand.

"It's okay, Spencer. You know Dave. He was with me last night, remember?" Hotch prodded.

Spencer studied Rossi for a moment before nodding.

Dave held out his hand. "Come on kiddo. He's not leaving you." he assured the youngster. "Look, you can stand right here on this chair and watch Aaron. What do you say?"

Spencer glanced from Rossi to Hotch and back before reluctantly releasing Aaron's hand and toddling over to the Italian.

Aaron walked over and lifted Spencer into the chair. "I'll be right back, buddy." He whispered before turning and walking into Jackson's ICU room.

Spencer watched Hotch enter the room and approach the bed. He wondered who the smiling man had come to see. Whoever it was, the amount of machines and tubes meant they were really ill. He had read all about the various machines in…Jackson's name snapped him out of his musings. Swiftly putting two and two together, the four year old hopped off his chair and dashed into the ICU room before Rossi could stop him. Skidding to a stop at the bed, he reached out and placed a shaking hand on top of the unconscious man's hand. "Jackson" he muttered.

Aaron waved Dave off when he entered the room. Even though Spencer wasn't supposed to be in the room, he wasn't hurting anything and seeing Jackson just might help both the boy and his uncle. Standing behind the four year old to block him from view, Hotch silently watched the little guy gently and quietly comforted the injured man.

A half hour later Hotch strode into the BAU bullpen with his new charge. He felt the boy's grip tighten as he took in the loud, crowded area. "It's alright, buddy" he assured, patting the youngster's back. Aaron steered Spencer up the stairs, into his office, and over to the couch. "Okay, Spencer I have to work at my desk for a little while. You sit here and color or play with the cars we got at the gift shop, alright?"

Spencer nodded.

"Good man" Aaron praised. He ruffled the four year old's hair before standing and walking over to his desk. Taking a seat, he glanced at his charge and then picked up a folder and got to work.

"Aaron, do you have the Fleming file?" Jason Gideon asked as he marched into the office a few hours later. He stopped, doing a double take at the child sitting on the floor with a thick book open in his lap and several more scattered around him. "Uhhh, Aaron?"

"He's safe, Jason. That's one of my law books. There are no pictures." He explained. "And he's only four so he can't read yet."

Gideon studied the youngster for a moment and frowned. "Are you sure about that?" he questioned.

Aaron looked up. He gave the older man an inquisitive look before turning his gaze to the boy on the floor. He watched the child's eyes skim back and forth across the page as his tiny finger swiftly moved left to right across it. If he didn't know better, he'd swear Spencer was reading. But he couldn't be, could he? Curious, Aaron spun his chair around. He stood, walked around his desk, and went over to the boy in question. Kneeling down beside the kid, the profiler tapped the youngster on the shoulder to get his attention. "Spencer, could you read this to me?" he asked, pointing to the top of the page.

Spencer eyed the man suspiciously. Sensing that the smiling man was genuinely curious, he nodded and focused on the book in his hands. *"Another example may be seen in Aristotle's well-known discussion in the Nico…*"

"Okay, that's enough." Aaron said, taking the heavy tome out of the boy's hands.

Spencer dropped his head as tears welled up in his eyes. He had screwed up and now the smiling man was angry with him. Sniffling, he waited for the punishment that was sure to come.

Aaron realized his mistake a second too late. Cursing himself for frightening the boy, he quickly set out to make things right. The young man gently grasped Spencer's chin and tilted it up so they were eye to eye. "Hey, it's okay Spencer. I'm not mad." He soothed. "That's just not a book you need to be reading."

Spencer's expression said it all.

"He's right, bud. That book's way too boring for a young man like you." Gideon said as he stepped closer to the duo. He stopped when Spencer shrank back from him. Jason rubbed his chin pretending to think. He then smiled down at the little boy. "You know, there's a library a few miles down the street from here. You guys could go check it out. I'm sure they have a ton of books you'd enjoy."

"Jason, we can't…"

"Yes, you can." Gideon broke in. "It's almost lunchtime anyway. Go ahead and take the kid to the library and then get him something to eat. I'll cover for you."

"Thank you" Aaron replied. He stood and walked to his desk to get his suit jacket. After throwing it on, he scooped up his keys and held out his hand. "Come on, Spencer. Let's go find you some books."

Spencer grabbed his bear off the couch before toddling over and taking Aaron's hand.

"See you after lunch, Jason" Aaron called over his shoulder.

"I'll be here awaiting your explanation." Gideon tossed back. He watched the younger man and the boy disappear around the corner and then shook his head. This was one explanation he couldn't wait to hear.

Spencer gasped as he tromped into the library with the smiling man. The huge room was covered in shelves that went from the floor to ceiling and all of those shelves were overflowing with books. He'd never seen so many books in one place before. It was paradise!

Aaron snickered at the expression on the child's face. He looked like he had walked into Disney World instead of the local library. The boy was practically vibrating with glee. Spencer had evidently been extremely sheltered his first four years of life. Hotch resolved to fix that. As soon as the boy's father was dealt with, he and Hailey were going to take the little guy to as many places as they could. But for now… "Come on Spencer, the children's section is this way." He said. Aaron led the excited four year old to the back of the library where the children's books were housed. Taking him over to the picture book shelf, the profiler pulled a colorful dinosaur book off the top shelf. "How about this one?" he asked.

Spencer looked at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Not a dinosaur fan, huh?" Aaron muttered. He put the book in his hand back and pulled out a book with a mother and baby bunny on the front. "What about this one, then?"

Spencer's face scrunched up in disgust.

Aaron sighed. They'd be here all day at this rate. "Okay, kiddo, why don't you go pick out some books you'd like to read?" he offered.

Spencer enthusiastically nodded his head.

Smiling, Aaron released the boy's hand. "Alright, go ahead buddy. Go find the five books you'd like to check out and then we'll go get something to eat."

Spencer nodded once more before racing over to the older kid's section. He ran a finger over the spines of the books, occasionally pulling one out to check the description. After several minutes of searching and several more of debating, the four year old walked over to Hotch and timidly held out his choices.

Aaron raised an eyebrow at the thick chapter books. While they were classics, they were also written for older children. "Are you sure these are the ones you want?" he inquired.

Spencer started to nod, but thought better of it. "Y-yes sir" he stammered.

Aaron grinned from ear to ear. "Well then, let's go check these out." He said. He took the youngster's hand and the two headed for the check-out desk.

Hotch drove past several fast food restaurants before finally pulling into the parking lot of the local Chick-Fil-A. While it probably wasn't the most nutritious of meals for a growing boy, it was healthier than the other options. Plus the restaurant had a play area so Spencer would be able to run off some of his excess energy if he chose to. Aaron just hoped he would. It was unnerving to see a child that young so still. Sighing, the profiler parked in the closest space he could find and cut the engine. He climbed out of the driver's seat and, after helping Spencer out of the SUV, strode to the restaurant door and went inside. The duo walked over and got in line to order.

Aaron perused the menu while they waited. Choosing something for Spencer would be easy. It was either a chicken sandwich or chicken nuggets. Not a wide choice but that was a good thing. That made it easier to…he glanced down when he felt the four year old's arms wrap around his leg. Seeing the terrified expression on the boy's face, the young man quickly knelt down. "Are you okay, buddy?" he questioned. Getting a shake of the head in response, he frowned. Aaron scanned the crowd for what could have frightened the youngster but found nothing. Deciding the crowd must be the problem, he swiftly came up with what he hoped was a good solution. "Would you like me to hold you for a while? It might make you feel better." He suggested, opening his arms.

Spencer hesitated for only a moment before jumping into the smiling man's waiting arms. While he still wasn't very comfortable with the man, his father could be hiding somewhere in the crowd and his need for safety overrode any fear he had of the profiler.

Aaron scooped the little boy up and settled him on his hip. Standing back up, he stepped up to the counter and ordered their meals. Once he got their tray, the young man walked through the busy eating area to a booth in the corner. He set down the tray, picked up his empty cup, and made his way to drink machine. After pouring some tea into the cup, Hotch picked up some ketchup packets and napkins before going back to the booth. He sat Spencer down and then slid in beside the four year old. Picking up the cartoon covered bag, he passed it to the boy. "Here's your kid's meal, Buddy." He said.

Spencer nodded. He reached into the bag, pulling out a book. He glanced at it before holding it out to Hotch.

"No Spencer, that's yours." Aaron corrected. "It came with your meal."

Spencer's eyes grew large. The book was his? He got to keep it forever?

Aaron smiled at the expression on the little boy's face. He looked like he was holding a gold bar instead of a paperback book.

"Mine?" Spencer whispered, hugging the book to his chest.

"Yes, it's all yours." Aaron replied as he opened a ketchup packet and set it in front of the boy. "Eat up now. We have to be back at work soon."

Nodding, Spencer carefully set his treasure on the bench beside him and then reached into his bag again. He pulled out his box of nuggets and bag of fries and started chowing down. The sooner he finished eating, the sooner he could read his book.

A short time later Aaron carried a sleepy Spencer out to the truck and buckled him in. He then climbed into the driver's seat with a sigh. While he had been able to get the four year old to eat all of his food as well as an ice cream cone, he hadn't been able to convince the youngster to play or even run around the play area. The boy had staunchly refused to leave the profiler's side. In the end, Aaron had given up. He had allowed Spencer to sit and quietly read until it was time to leave. The young man ran a hand across his face. He'd have to talk with Jason when they got back. Maybe he'd know of a way to get the little guy to play. With a plan in mind, Aaron started the vehicle and backed out of the parking space. Pulling onto the highway, he glanced into the rearview mirror, smiling at the sight of the sleeping youngster. He was going to protect his son no matter what it took.