Sorry for the wait. This chapter is longer.
Garcia glanced over toward the other end of the couch and smiled as she saw Aaron leaning back, his eyes shut and his mouth slightly open. It would seem that Jurassic Park wasn't enough to keep the boy awake any longer. After all, it was late, and the tech analyst was tired herself. Penelope shut the TV off and debated on how she would move Aaron into a more comfortable position to sleep in. In his current state, he would wake up with a sore neck, and she wouldn't allow that as long as she could do something about it. Biting her lip and ending up getting a taste of her own lipstick, she carefully rotated the dleepy teen and laid him down on his back. She grabbed a couple of blankets and laid them over the slumbering 14-year old.
As if a lightbulb could have appeared over her head, she quickly but quietly snagged her cell phone and took a couple pictures. She figured Reid would love one, because Garcia knew that she definitely would. Satisfied, she crept to her bedroom and prepared to send the photo to her favorite genius.
A long distance away, a cell phone buzzed, indicating an incoming text message. Spencer picked up his phone and saw the picture Garcia had sent him. It made him happy seeing Aaron at peace like that, the boy deserved it after all. He looked like he hadn't a care in the world, which is how it should be for someone his age. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Aaron was without a family, and the man who took it away from him was still out there.
Sighing, Reid closed his phone and sat it on the nightstand next to his hotel bed. He wanted Aaron to have some real peace in his life, but until Foyet was either caught or dead, it would probably never come.
The next morning, Aaron awoke to the sounds of sizzling coming from the kitchen. He already assumed that Garcia was in there cooking something for breakfast. Aaron wondered how Dr. Reid was doing, maybe he could call him, but he also didn't want to interrupt in case he was busy. Aaron pulled off the blankets and headed for the other room.
"Morning, sweet pea!" Penelope greeted cheerfully. Aaron was about to question the nickname, but decided against it.
"Good morning." He mumbled. "How can I contact Dr. Reid?"
"Oh, did you need to ask him something?" Garcia questioned. "If it's a homework related question, I could help if you'd like."
"Actually, I do need to ask him something, but it has nothing with homework."
"Okay, here." She left the stove to retrieve her cell phone. She shuffled through the screen until she found what she was looking for, then she handed the device over to the patiently waiting teen. "Here's his number over there." Garcia pointed. "I don't know if he'll answer or not, but he usually does."
"Thank you." Aaron took the phone and tapped the contact list. Penelope hurried back to the cooking food while the boy waited for the recipient to pick up.
"Yeah, Garcia?"
"Hi, Dr. Reid."
"Oh, hey Aaron. What did you need?"
The teen glanced over at Garcia, who seemed to be rather occupied humming some tune while tossing a pancake into the air, which she barely managed to catch. He didn't want their conversation to be heard, so he snuck out of the kitchen until he felt that he was out of earshot from the bubbly woman.
"Aaron?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"What did you need?" Spencer repeated.
"I just wanted to know how you were doing."
Reid swallowed as he recalled what happened just two nights ago. "I'm doing alright. We're about ready to deliver the profile."
"Already?" Aaron acknowledged. "That's good."
Reid nodded until he realized that Aaron wouldn't have seen it. "Still thinking about becoming a profiler?"
"Yep." He smiled, which was something that he still wasn't used to doing. "I'm almost done with your book."
"Nice." Spencer complimented. "Oh, I gotta go now, Aaron. I'll talk to you later."
"Aaron, breakfast!" Garcia called.
"I need to go too." Aaron said. "Bye, dad."
"Bye." Reid finished, then hung up. He slipped his phone back inside his pocket and was about to follow the others to the conference room until something struck his mind.
Did Aaron just call me...?
Did I just call Dr. Reid...?
Aaron shook his head. Even if he did just call Spencer what he thought he did, it was just a slip of the tongue, a simple mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, besides, he probably didn't even hear him. Yeah, that could be it. Trying to convince himself of this, Aaron stalked back into the kitchen.
"We believe that our unsub is in her late to mid 20's, she has a..."
"Hey, Reid, you doing okay?" Morgan asked.
"Huh? Yeah, why?" Reid blinked.
"You just looked a little... lost?"
Spencer shuffled his feet. He didn't really want to tell Derek about what just happened over the phone, at least not yet. "It's nothing really, I... was just distracted."
Morgan could already tell that his young friend was lying, but he knew now was not the time to push him into telling the truth. They had a case to work on. Come to think of it, the kid had been abnormally quiet since they got here. Maybe Reid was simply missing Aaron, even though they just got off the phone with each other ten minutes ago. Despite Spencer's youthful innocence, his awkwardness, and occasional clumsiness, he was proving to be a father figure like nothing he'd ever expect to see out of the young doctor. Reid's self-care capabilities may fall into question sometimes, but when it came to the love and care that he's given Aaron in just a matter of days, there really wasn't any questions to be asked. In all honesty, Derek didn't see why Reid couldn't keep Aaron as his own. If Morgan had his choosing on who would serve as the teen's guardian, he wouldn't pick anyone but Spencer.
These thoughts did bring up one question however, what exactly had Reid and Gideon talked about back at the BAU? Morgan typically hated prying in on Reid's business because it bothered him so much, but it seemed like it was very important, and whatever it was, it probably had a lot to do with Spencer's unexplained quietness.
Later on, the team was on lunch break, Morgan noticed that Reid was by himself, which gave the dark-skinned agent the perfect opportunity to speak with his younger colleague. "Hey, Reid."
"Hi." Reid replied somberly as he sat down on a vacant bench.
"Something eating you, kid?" Derek asked as he joined him.
"Um, no." Spencer lied. "Why do you ask? Considering you already did earlier." He pointed out.
"You haven't said much lately."
"How does that make anything your concern?"
Morgan flinched a little at his friend's tone. Something was definitely on the young genius's mind. "If there's something you'd like to talk about, you can tell me, Reid. You know that."
"How about you leave me alone?" Spencer grumbled, but made no effort to get up and leave. Another sign that he was itching to get something off his chest, and Derek was now determined to help him with that.
"What did Gideon want you for back in Quantico?" He inquired.
Spencer gulped. Part of him wanted ever so desperately to let it all out, but the other half felt that he should just keep his mouth shut. But Reid knew if he refused to talk with Morgan, he would likely return with reinforcements, or in other words, the rest of the team, excluding Gideon. Sighing, Reid decided to give in, it's not like he really had a choice to begin with.
"Fine," He started. "Gideon told me that after Foyet was caught, I would have to send Aaron back to the orphanage."
"Why?"
"He thinks that I wouldn't be able to properly raise him because of the job we do."
Derek was genuinely shocked to hear this. While he was sure that Jason meant well, the Unit Chief clearly wasn't thinking for either Reid nor Aaron. Spencer was the only one Aaron would fully open up to. The caregivers at the orphanage where the boy had been residing at for ten years had been consistently unsuccessful, then Reid came along and managed to get Aaron to talk in just a few minutes. He was the only one the 14-year old wanted to be around the most, he was the one Aaron trusted the most. It was as if Spencer was born to be the unexpected father figure for him. So how could Gideon possibly deny that?
"What did you say after that?" Morgan questioned.
"Nothing yet really, but I did kind of say that I would leave the BAU so I could take care of Aaron." Reid sniffled. "JJ interrupted and told us we had a case. We agreed that we would talk more later."
"I'm sorry, kid." The older profiler squeezed his shoulder. "But Reid, listen to me." Spencer acknowledged and faced him. "You care about Aaron a lot, you love him like he was your own son, you just want what's best for him." Reid nodded. "And if that would mean you quitting the FBI... I'd be willing to support you."
Spencer blinked, making sure that he heard him right. "Y-you would?"
Derek smiled. "I would."
Reid's expression didn't last. "But, I love this job too, it's my life." He sighed and buried his face in his hands. "What am I going to do?"
"Come on, Reid, don't think like that." Morgan waved a finger. "I know you, your brain can think of something."
"What if I can't? What if I have to choose between Aaron and my job?"
"What about office work?" Derek suggested.
"I'm most effective when I'm physically in the field." Spencer argued.
"Reid, think about it, there are millions of people in law enforcement, and probably a lot of them have children."
"Yeah, and?"
Morgan paused. "What? No correctional fact or statistic?" Reid didn't respond. "Reid, Gideon is the reason you joined the team in the first place, surely he would be understanding. Maybe when you talk to him again, he'll have reconsidered what he said at first. And if not, try and convince him otherwise."
"It's a possibility." Reid thought.
"I'll even come with you if you'd like." Derek offered.
"Thanks, but I should probably do it alone."
Morgan nodded. "I understand. But when you do have your conversation, I wish you good luck."
"Thank you." Spencer whispered.
"Be sure to let me know how it goes though."
"I will."
Gideon looked up when a knock at the door came. Curious on who would be knocking, he called for them to enter. It was Rossi.
"Are you holding up alright?" The aged Italian asked as he shut the door.
"Yes, and yourself?" Jason replied.
"I'm good." Dave said. An awkward silence followed, which was unusual for the two men. Gideon broke it a minute later.
"Why do you ask?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I know it probably isn't any of my business, but I've noticed that you haven't really been yourself lately." Rossi pointed out.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll cut right to the point; Does it happen to have anything to do with your private discussion with Reid yesterday?"
"That shouldn't be any of your concern, Rossi." Gideon said sternly.
"Well, you and Reid are fellow members of this team, and I've noticed the kid acting a little off as well." Dave pondered. "Anything you'd like to talk about?"
Jason inwardly groaned. Dave was a stubborn old mule. They've been friends since the academy, and they always looked out one another since then. Gideon figured he had nothing to lose by opening up to Rossi, not that he had many other preferred options. He gestured for him to sit down beside him at the table.
"I tried having a discussion with Reid about Aaron."
"'Tried'?"
"Yes, 'tried'." He sighed.
"What did you say?" Rossi asked, leaning forward, cupping his hands together.
"I told him that raising a family isn't easy with the job we do, and I didn't think it would be best for Aaron." The BAU leader explained. "I felt it would be better that Aaron returned to the orphanage after Foyet is captured. After all, it was only to be temporary that the boy stay with Reid."
"I take it that it didn't go well." Dave pushed.
"No." Jason shook his head. "Reid said that he would quit the Bureau if it meant maintaining care of Aaron."
"I must say I'm shocked that Reid would even say something like that." Rossi said. "Though I must admit, they make a pretty nice father and son pair."
"Dave." Gideon grumbled.
"I'm just saying, and besides, who says that it couldn't be a more permanent solution, like adoption?"
"Rossi, you and I both know how hard it is to maintain a family in our line of work."
"I know, but just because we had a hard time doesn't mean Reid would."
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew Reid loved and care about Aaron so much, and Aaron looked up to Spencer, but he couldn't risk their relationship being negatively impacted by Reid being away as frequently as they usually were. Gideon missed his own son a lot, he's made attempts to contact Stephen with no avail. Spencer didn't deserve that sort of heartbreak, that's why he felt returning Aaron would be the best thing for the young agent. Aaron only had four years until he could leave the orphanage, assuming nobody adopts him by then. If only Reid would understand that he's just trying to look out for him and Aaron.
And then here's Rossi thinking that Reid adopting the teen would be an option. Gideon couldn't allow that. If only he knew how to convince Spencer that sending Aaron back when Foyet is no longer a threat would be in the best intentions for both of them. Maybe if Aaron still had any interest in being a profiler, Gideon could work something out for him like he had with Reid, when Aaron was older, of course.
Jason had been a little too deep in thought, he didn't notice Rossi staring at him intriguingly.
"Look, Jason, I know that you care deeply for Reid, as does he for Aaron." Dave spoke. "I know that when the time comes for you to make a decision, you'll do the right thing." With that, the Senior SSA got up and left the room, leaving a silent Gideon to his thoughts once more.
To be continued...