Spencer worked exceptionally hard to make it seem he was doing as he was asked. Every day he forced down a small lunch and worked his way through case file after case file. He also spent large periods of time deciding what it was he wanted in life and was everything that as happening what he envisaged in his future.
Five days into his temporary job in New York, Derek finally rang, Spencer made sure to sound cheerful though part of him was terrified as to what the call would hold.
"How's Clooney?"
"Sniffing around looking for you, but that's nothing new. He keeps attacking your cycling trainers; I had to hide them in the garage, since you don't like your training gear in the house."
"Spencer, the last thing I want for either of us is to smell my sweaty training gear when we go into our home." Spencer swallowed loudly. The way Derek was speaking made him feel as though there was hope. "Have you done what Hotch asked?"
"Yes, will you all stop mollycoddling me? Seriously I have been eating."
"Good, because the last thing I would want is for you to waste away into nothing."
"I'm not that thin."
"Spence, you weigh one thirty seven when fully clothed and soaking wet, so yeah, you are." Derek joked, causing Spencer to smile for the first time in a long time.
"I was thinking." He stated in a serious tone.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone as Derek realised what he was referring to in particular. "And?"
"When you come back I think we all need to sit down and discuss how this will work."
"How do you mean?"
"Well I know I've been a selfish ass, but Alex has been going off the handle every time I have tried to talk to her rather than just hearing me out. I know the day she told me I didn't give her much of a chance, but I apologised and I think that the only way for this to be sorted is for it to be discussed like adults, no arguments, around a table."
"And what is it you want to discuss in particular Spence?"
"Us, being there for the baby and for her if she wants. How we could ever make it work, if it's possible to and see if we can try and do it. What do you think?"
"Are you doing it for me or for you?"
"Both actually. I mean I am terrified about passing on my mom's illness, but the idea of going to museums and parks with you and a baby actually really excites me."
"I'm glad to hear that Spence." But Spencer could hear the other man's voice, he was more than glad, he sounded elated. "And to hear you are doing it for you."
"So what exactly are you doing up there?"
"SWAT Bomb Tech supervisor." A tense silence hung over the phone. "I'm being safe. I did this long before I joined the BAU Spencer. I know what I'm doing."
"I know, but I still get nervous. That's allowed, right?"
"Yes, it is. I agree that things need to be discussed at a table like adults, you may have been a jerk, but Alex needs to let you speak too. As soon as I get back we'll arrange it okay Pretty Boy?"
At the use of his nickname, Spencer could not help but smile more. "Sure thing Der."
"Please look after yourself while I'm gone. Promise?"
"I promise."
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Spencer had kept true to his promise. He did look after himself and began to get some sleep too, though not as much as he would have gotten if Derek had have been there.
Arrangements had been made for the two men to meet Alex on Derek's second night home, but a serial arsonist in Fargo, North Dakota put a stop to that. It was a full two and a half weeks after Derek's return from New York before the men finally were in their own home again.
Things between the two men had settled, Derek had forgiven Spencer for holding something so big from him. Now he was happy to see that Spencer was thinking rationally. Even if he were not to have anything to do with the child, it would be for better reasons than falsely blaming his relationship.
Hotch had been happy with Spencer's work once more and the physical appearance of the youngest agent. The whole team sighed a collective sigh of relief when he was back to himself, spouting random facts and laughing at obscure things they could never understand.
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One their third day home from North Dakota they finally arrange to meet Alex. Unsure of whether it was better to have the conversation in public at a restaurant or cafe, she agreed to go to their house again.
When she arrived she was quickly attacked by an over enthusiastic Clooney, who after a moment seemed to click to her condition and backed off slowly, becoming more calm and relaxed as he looked for attention.
Derek stood pointing at the dog and looking at his lover. "Yes animals are capable of sensing pregnancy."
When Alex took off her coat, the two men stared. Gone was the little softly protruding bump she had had nearly six weeks ago. She was showing a lot now.
"Wow." Derek stood staring. He could not take his eyes off her stomach.
"Yeah, well. Twenty weeks. So half way there now." She shrugged, grabbing the sleeves of her top in her hands nervously. "Can I use your bathroom please? Someone is playing trampoline with me bladder."
"Sure it's down the hall."
"Yeah, I remember." She smiled back.
She walked out the door and closed it behind her.
"You okay Spencer?"
"I dunno, I mean. That's a baby."
"Yes, we know."
"No, like a baby, baby. A human child. One with my DNA and it….I just…."
"Breathe Spence. It's alright."
"Alright? Derek what if it is weird like me?"
"Then it will be happy like you won't it? You have people around you who love you for who you are and it will be the same."
"She." The two men looked up. They had not realised Alex had re-entered the room. "It's a she."
"A little girl." Derek smiled. Spencer bit his lips together. Knowing the gender made it altogether even more real. "Let's sit down and talk about this alright?" Alex nodded and sat on one of the sofas while Derek and Spencer took the other.
"Do you ever get the feeling when you're in a particular situation and you know you will find yourself in it a lot in the future?" Alex stated.
"How do you mean?"
"Well I just have a funny feeling that I will be spending a lot of time sitting on this couch talking about the baby with you two."
"Well we hope so, because we want to be involved with it, I mean her." Derek corrected.
"Both of you?" Alex asked with an eyebrow raised, looking at Spencer.
"Yes, both." He replied looking her straight in the eye. "No more childish arguments, no more blame games, just we want to be involved. I want to get to know her, I want to see her grow up." Spencer's voice caught a little as he thought about it. A little girl, with more than likely dark brown hair like her mother, but his eyes were the more dominant colour, meaning she would more than likely have them. Alex had sallow skin, easily tanned. He was pale, what would that give their daughter? Daughter, he had a daughter. It hit him like a ton of bricks. He gasped for a moment. "Sorry, I think this is just hitting me."
"Took you long enough." Commented Alex.
"Hey, look if this is going to work, we all need to act like adults, I know Spencer said some nasty things at first, but we need to look past all of that, for her?" Derek pointed to Alex's stomach.
"Sorry. You're right. This is about her. The healthiest thing possible is for her to have her father. Especially if she takes on his freakishly high IQ. She'll need someone who'll understand her and that isn't me."
"And you meant what you said? That you don't mind Derek being involved?" Spencer asked, truth be told, he had told Derek that that would be a deal breaker.
"No, I don't. The way I see it, a lot of kids don't have a father involved. This one will have two. She'll be really lucky. There is one thing that I will find difficult though. With regards the two of you."
"And that is?" Derek asked apprehensively.
"How will we explain to her why she exists, if you two were in a relationship almost five years before she was born?"
"We alter it slightly. We say that we were close friends, which is true, and that we arranged for it to happen." Spencer suggested.
"The last thing I want is for her to think she was a life wrecking mistake. You deal with those murdering lunatics, you know they often are told that they are worthless and unwanted growing up."
"Well she is, wanted I mean. We want her, you want her. That's all that matters and that's all she needs to know." Derek replied.
"Do you think she'll be bullied in school for this?" Spencer thought aloud.
"What? For having three parents?" Alex asked.
"Well, yeah. And two of them being men in a relationship with one another."
"Spencer this is the twenty-first century. DC is less than an hour away and same sex marriage is legal there. I refuse to believe she will be the only child in her class that will have parents in a same sex relationship."
"She's right Pretty Boy. Though you have to admit, she'll be different to the most of her class."
"How so?" Alex cocked her head slightly as she queried.
"Well you've an above average IQ, Spencer's a genius, so she will more than likely be too, she has a mom, and two dads." The glee in saying that made his eyes well up with tears the others could not help but see. "One of which is black."
"Both of which are Fed's. I can't wait until she is fifteen and tries to go on a date. I will be sitting back and eating popcorn and laughing when he or she realises that her dads are BAU Fed's." Alex giggled.
"So we are really doing this?" Spencer asked wide eyed, half terrified of what lay ahead.
"It seems so." Alex answered, sitting forward and twitching her mouth to the side.
"No more childish arguments, no more blame games." Derek reiterated. Both other adults nodded. "Well then." He sat back and chuckled. "This will be interesting telling our family and friends."
"I am so not being there." Alex sat up again.
"You'll have no choice but to meet them, well Garcia anyway, she won't have it any other way." Derek shrugged.
"That's the one I'm frightened of, what if she thinks I tried to break up, what was it you said she called you Spencer?"
"Her 'delectable duo of man sex'." He quoted shaking his head and going slightly pink.
"Yeah, that." Alex laughed.
