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A/n hey all... I just want to thank all my loyal readers. Much thanks to my wonderful beta for her ideas, suggestions, and support.

Overprepared or Overprotective

It felt like he stood inside a whirlwind… in the eye of a storm that raged around him, but would engulf him in seconds if he didn't do something fast. He was paralyzed, by the mess around him and by the sheer misery of his son. It was his responsibility to take care of Chase, to make sure his little boy had everything he needed in these first few weeks of life, but so far, he had failed with flying colors.

Don't just stand there like an idiot. Get busy before Emily tries to take over. Remember what the doctor said, she needs to rest so her incision can heal.

He lifted his shoulder and his head to his full height. He was a genius and a profiler of human behavior, surely he could handle taking care of a seven pound three ounce baby.

Chase didn't seem to share in Reid's new found self-awareness. He screamed at the top of his lungs while his father stood frozen in place.

"Spencer…"

Emily's call snapped his head around so fast his neck cramped. "Ow… Damn it."

He rubbed at his neck trying to dig out the cramp while trying to think of something to tell Emily that would keep her in the down stairs guest room instead of trying to take over.

"It's alright Emily. I'm just changing his diaper."

She didn't replay which wasn't a good sign. At least her voice had broken his paralysis. He returned his attention to Chase who wriggled and kicked his legs, while waving his arms around with clenched fists. His eyes were squeezed shut and his little face was crimson.

"Okay little buddy… I know I suck at being a dad, but could you just keep it down for a minute. Mommy's supposed to be resting and -"

"What's going on?"

He whirled around to see Emily standing there with her hand on her abdomen. "You're supposed to taking it easy. The doctor said -"

"I know I'm supposed to be in bed, but I can't ignore my little boy when he's unhappy."

"I'm doing the best I can." Reid retorted.

He went back to the change table and unfolded a diaper. Chase shook his head back and forth and wriggled his little body so that Reid couldn't get the diaper under his bottom. "Chase, please cooperate with daddy."

Chase let loose with a stream of urine that hit Reid square in the face. He recoiled back and knocked into the dresser next to the change table. Two stuffed dogs from Chase's Aunt Penelope fell off along with a small toy train.

"Damn it!" Reid shouted again.

"Don't yell at him."

"I'm not yelling at him Emily. Please just get back to bed. I can handle it.

He wrestled the diaper under Chase and began struggling with the tape fasteners.

"Don't forget the powder."

He glared at her and picked up the baby powder. By the time he got the tapes fastened around Chase's legs, he was sweating like he'd run a mile. Chase's piercing screams tore at his heart even though he knew that his son would calm down. He refused to look at Emily until he had replaced the cute little green and white sleeper with a sleeping puppy on the front.

Chase sniffed and gradually stopped crying after Reid wrapped him in one of the light blue receiving blankets JJ had given him that had one belonged to Henry. He tucked Chase into his arms and began to rock him in an up and down motion that soothed his little man back to sleep.

When he looked up from Chase's beautiful little face, there were tears running down Emily's face. She turned and walked as fast as she could out of the room and down the hall.

"Oh boy, I think mommy's upset." Reid said quietly. "I better put you down and go talk to her."

He carefully lowered the baby into his crib and pulled the light yellow sheets with ducks around his little body. He stood there staring at him for a long time trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had this tiny little life depending on him.

Emily lay on her back propped up on several fat pillows with the comforter pulled up around her chest. Tears rolled down her face and her cheeks were as red as her eyes. She sniffed, wiping her nose with a nose pillow as her mother always called it. She glanced up at him and then turned over on her side, to face the wall opposite from him.

"Emily… I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. I was just thinking I've been sitting here feeling sorry for myself for the last two days."

"Emily I don't know -"

She turned over and held out her arms. He hurried over to her and climbed onto the bed. He hugged her as carefully as he could.

"I don't know why I'm acting this way. You've been so great taking care of Chase and all I can do is get mad because I'm jealous."

He stroked her back as she talked into his shoulder. "I swore I'd never act this way again. I thought I was done with the whole hormonal pregnancy thing."

"Actually, most women have some trouble with what is commonly known as the baby blues. Your body is trying to readjust its hormone levels now that Chase has been born. Only five to twenty five percent of women experience post partum depression and post partum psychosis is even less common."

She pulled back and surveyed him. Her red-rimmed eyes smiled a little. "You don't know how comforting I find your statistics."

He grinned at her. "I'm glad to be of service my lady."

She smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "You're a real funny man Spencer Reid."

He let go of her and scooted around until he sat next to her with his back up against the headboard and some pillows. "I was thinking last night when you were feeding him at three in the morning abut the conversation we had a week before he was born."

She smiled broadly. "I remember… You were freaking out."

"I was not freaking out."

"Spencer."

He grabbed one of her hand and held it tight. "Okay, so I freaked out a little.

He remembered that night, when Emily had caught him with his lists and had confronted him about them. It made him smile and laugh.

"What is it?" Emily said.

"Just remembering what you said that night.

He'd been in the bathroom with one of the many lists he'd made in the last month without Emily's knowledge. He figured she had enough on her mind. He was currently on his knees with the cupboard doors open beneath the sink.

"What are you doing?" Emily had said from behind him.

He's jumped and missed being brained by a hair. "What?" He said very irritably.

"Why are you on your knees with your head in the cupboard?"

He tried to think of something to say that wouldn't sound like an excuse. He couldn't come up with anything under the gaze of her dark, beautiful eyes. She'd know if he was trying to snow her. She always knew.

"I was just getting the bathroom ready for the baby. Do you know how many caustic and poisonous substances are in a bathroom cupboard, not to mention all the dangerous chemicals in a kitchen? I have to make it safe for the baby."

He noticed that Emily was smirking at him and he didn't like it at all. "What's so funny?" He squeaked.

"You're funny… You do know that the baby won't be crawling under the sink for at least six months."

"Actually most babies start to creep or crawl at around 7 months."

"Okay, so I was off by a month." Emily said rolling her eyes. "That just makes my point."

"We shouldn't put off baby proofing the house. JJ said that -"

Emily held up her hand. "I know you want to make this house completely safe for our baby, but you know that's impossible. Our child is going to fall, is going to get bumps and bruises. You can't protect him or her from that forever."

He climbed to his feet, dusting off his hands. "You sound like you think its okay." He accused.

"I'm not saying that it's okay. It's just that now days everyone tries so hard to keep kids from getting so much as a scratch. How is a child supposed to learn if they don't ignore mom once and try to touch a hot stove, or trip and fall and skin their knees? I don't want our child to get hurt. If I could, I'd tuck him or her away until adulthood I would, but I can't do that. You're not going to be less of a father if your child gets a scraped knee."

"I just don't want my baby to get hurt by something in the kitchen cupboard under the sink."

Emily took his hand and pulled him out of the bathroom. "Don't worry. I talked to JJ too. She and Will are happy to help us baby proof the house. Our baby isn't going to get seriously hurt by cleaning chemicals or getting into the medicine cabinet."

He followed her down the hall. "I'm sorry I'm such a pain Emily."

"You want to be a good dad. I'm more than okay with that, just take it one-step at a time. You don't have to be Super dad."

He stopped at the top of the staircase. "I'm not trying to be Super dad."

She kissed him. "Then why do you have to do lists all over the house. You have little check marks next to things like paint the nursery and ask JJ if we can borrow their old car seat."

"I read this article called "How to prepare for a baby."

"So that's why you stocked up a year on diapers, baby wipes, powder and lotion in the baby's room."

He pulled away from her laughing eyes. "If you're going to laugh…"

"I'm sorry Spencer. It just made me laugh to see that you organized all the clothes we have by size, function and color."

"It's easier to find that way." He said indignantly. "In fact if you want I can organize your clothes -"

She put a hand over his mouth. "Don't even say it Dr. Reid."

Reid came back to the present when Emily squeezed his hand. "So you think I'm going over board." He asked.

"No I think you're going about things like I've come to expect from you. Just know that I'm probably going to be moody and jealous of all the bonding you get to do with Chase until I'm back to normal."

As if on cue, the baby began to cry. "Here we go again," Reid said. "I think that's his hungry cry."

"I'm glad... I need to be with him."