Part 25
"What?" Spencer spluttered in shock, as Hotch told him what Thierry had told him when he had called just a few minutes ago, while Spencer had been in the bathroom. "Are you telling me that two of the embryos split, so that we are going to get two sets of identical twins and to top it off all four of the original embryos caught, so Anastasia is now carrying six fetuses instead of the four we were expecting."
"Yes," Hotch said calmly, although inside he was smiling not only at his mate's shock, but his wolf was also prancing around in excitement at the thought of getting six pups instead of four. "You did say it was possible for this to happen," Hotch pointed out.
"Well, yes, I did," Spencer admitted. "However, even though I knew it was a possibility, I never truly expected it to happen, but I didn't consider the fact that my father was an identical twin or that he never had any identical twins himself, which meant that it was likely that at least one of his children would have them, even though I know there is supposedly no medical or scientific reason for them or any evidence that they do run in family lines. They are supposed to be a totally random event."
"And yet they seem to run in your family line, along with the more normal fraternal ones," Hotch smirked.
"So they do," Spencer admitted. "I thought it was a possibility that maybe one of the embryos would split so that we would get five, but to have two of them do it...well the possibility was so minuscule that I didn't bother to calculate it."
"And yet it happened," Hotch smiled, a true smile instead of his usual smirk and took his mate into his arms holding him close and kissing the top of his head reverently. "Soon, in just a matter of months, we are going to have six werewolf pups that are ours in every way it is possible for them to be for they will be a product of our love and share both our genetic materials, even if I had to use my sister's Arissa's eggs for my part of it since I am male and not female."
"I can't believe that we will soon have six children of our very own and as much as I love the dozen we have, there is just something special about these six that isn't true for the others."
"They're special, because they are ours," Hotch said. "We love our half siblings that we both adopted as they are our pups now, but we are going to have some that share both our DNAs and that is somehow even better and more special."
"It is indeed," Spencer agreed immediately. "I'm just glad when you told all the children that they didn't resent the fact that there would soon be even more children that are going to take away even more of their parents time. I expected tantrums from some of the older ones at least."
"They know that we will still love them and spend as much time with them as we can," Hotch said. "Besides, werewolf pups usually mature pretty fast as they have responsibility drummed into them at an early age. Also, our newest additions will be spending a great deal of their time with the nanny we are going to hire to look after them as Lisa and Maddy have enough to do and aren't getting any younger," Hotch said seriously.
"You know I can't wait to see Morgan's face when we tell the team what we did and you know that he and the others are probably going to demand why we didn't tell them in advance. If Morgan does actually ask me that I'm going to tell him I didn't feel like putting up with him nagging me not to do it, because the two of us already have a dozen children between us. Now it's done and there's no reversing it."
"JJ, Emily and Garcia will be happy for us though," Hotch said, "and Rossi will be to and likely won't think we are crazy for doing this since a lot of Italian families tend to be larger then is average anyway and Dave's is no exception as he has over a dozen siblings."
Spencer whistled appreciatively at that. "For a human to have that many and not die from the births, especially that long ago is pretty amazing since I'm assuming that it was all a single baby each time and not multiples that werewolves have normally."
"As far as I know that is correct," Hotch said.
"It's really just as well, that it was likely all singletons back when Rossi was born as technology was a lot more primitive back then and the mothers of twins often died giving birth to them. While that can still happen it is a lot rarer, then so long ago, since medical technology has improved by leaps and bounds in the five or six decades since Rossi was born," Spencer said. "Things can and do still go wrong, like some kind of preexisting medical condition that hasn't been found before, but for the most part..."
"Most women don't die from giving birth to twins even if they have to have a c-section for one or even both of them," Hotch said and Reid nodded.
"Even triplets are relatively safe as most doctors suggest c-sections, preferably before the woman goes into labor, but since triplets usually always come by the 34 week mark and only a small percentage of women manage to carry them later. A c-section is almost always scheduled for around week 30 or 31 weeks. However, some women insist that they'd rather not have a c-section until they are actually in labor because they want to carry their babies as long as they possibly can. I for one can't blame them for that, because the longer that the babies remain in the mother's womb the better the chances they have of emerging healthy and whole without any problem that can develop, especially with multiple births. I know werewolf pups tend to be hardier then human babies, but the mother still have to take care of herself in order to have them born healthy."
"Yes, but unlike with human pregnancies werewolf pups aren't usually born as early as human multiples are. A werewolf mother for instance can usually carry her pups at least until the 36 or 37 mark even if it's quadruplets or more."
"Hmm! I wonder why that is?" Spencer mused.
"Well, us werewolves are basically just like humans," Hotch explained as Spencer listened intently. "Even if you did a batch of medical tests you won't find anything unusual unless you looked deeply into our DNA, as on the surface anyway our DNA is just like anybody else's. However, a female werewolf's pelvis is stronger than a human one, which is probably why they don't go into labor as early as a human woman can. The pelvic bone can carry more and therefore, all the extra weight of multiple fetuses isn't going to make her water break earlier like a human woman's."
"You know that's really interesting," Spencer mused, as he thought about that. "It's the pelvis that has to support the weight of the fetuses that a woman is carrying and if a werewolf's pelvic bone is stronger than a human females, that means that she can carry her babies for longer, before they are born. You know that makes sense when you think about it, because for werewolves multiple births are the norm, instead of the exception and that's the way it's always been. The pups are usually born healthy from the woman's womb, so I suppose in that way the females are just like normal wolves who have multiple births all the time and come through it unscathed. While for humans, multiples weren't the norm until the very late 20th century, like the 80s and 90s and that was mostly due to reproductive technology, at least until more women started getting pregnant later in life, after 35 and even into their late 40s. I thought you told me awhile back that not much research has been done on werewolves, since you can't let a regular human exam you, at least one that isn't in the know."
"And this is still true," Hotch say. "However, about 80 years ago there was a doctor that knew about us, as he was married to one of our kind and he did some very primitive research into the subject. As you just said medical technology was much more primitive back then and he also had to do his research in secret and so he discovered what he could, with the technology he had and that information is now passed to each werewolf pup at a certain age, but still there are a lot of things we don't know about our kind, simply because we can't reveal ourselves."
"So you're saying that this doctor found out that a female werewolves pelvic bone is stronger which makes sense when you think about it, but that there are still many things that our kind don't know about themselves."
"More or less," Hotch said with a shrug. "We know that our body heat is higher than the normal humans, so high in fact that if one of our kind were ever examined it would seem like they had a fever, even when they didn't. We've theorized over the years that it's our high body heat that allows us to transform painlessly even on the full moon and is also why we don't get sick with colds and any other disease like cancer that has to do with the body. However, werewolves can still die from clogged arteries and the like, because even though we can't get cancer, because it has to do with the body we are still capable of eating stuff that's bad for us, stuff that can cause heart attacks or strokes, or the clogging of a major artery. We are also capable of losing our eyesight, but not until we are elderly, because we are born with excellent vision. We also can live several decades longer then the norm for humans depending on general health and again we believe that's because of our higher than average body heat."
"So you're saying that living to a hundred isn't going to be a problem so long as we're in good health," Spencer said and Hotch nodded.
"Around a 140 or 150 is the norm for our kind, though some die earlier or even later, of course, depending on several different factors, but we can live that long."
"How do you keep this from regular humans, you know your neighbors, coworkers and such?" asked Spencer curiously, "especially for people like us who are in government jobs."
"Well, we retire just like anybody else," Hotch said, "and then we live pretty quietly for the most part. You know how human memory is and how they tend to forget things over time and so long as we don't tell anybody our actual age, once we get past what is normal for a human it's really not that hard so long as we are cautious. Some werewolves travel the world once they retire and therefore, their neighbors as you mentioned don't see them much, others just live their lives quietly. A lot of humans are curious yes, but a lot of them also know how to mind their own business and they might speculate about how that old man should he be dead by now, but they don't actually know how old that man is, just that he looks as old as Methuselah. So long as you don't attract the attention of the police or any other government or civilian agency that can look into your background then most werewolves live to a ripe old age without attracting attention and they are usually buried in the forest without a headstone or a coffin, not always of course, but most of the time. It all depends on what that werewolf wants and if his wishes are carried out."
"Yes, that would work," Spencer mused, as he went over that rapidly in his head, "and humans are living longer all the time now, so if one person lives to 150 or older and anybody notices it might be commented on, but no one would be suspicious just thinking that person is lucky to have such good health at their advanced age and likely put it down as just having good genes."
"Besides, they have plenty of people that live to be over a hundred now and I even heard of a human that lived to be around 122, although I can't think of the name right off hand."
"Jeanne Calment, born in Arles France, on February 21st 1875 died August 4th 1997, she was 122 years old as you said," Spencer supplied.
"Well, I should've known that you would know the details," Hotch said with a slight quirk of his lips, in what Spencer knew was a repressed smile.
Spencer shrugged a little sheepishly, but didn't respond. "Did you know that women tend to live longer than man at least when it comes to humans."
"No, I wasn't aware of that," Hotch said looking genuinely interested.
"Yes, for the most part women just tend to live longer than men, as the oldest living man in this century has only been 116 when he died.
"As if living to 116 is anything to sneeze at," Hotch snorted. "That's extremely old for a human. All our pups will be grown and have lives of their own by the time we are that old and we'll be retired and perhaps, doing some traveling, as we both have plenty of money to do that."
Spencer snorted and said, "I'm still mad at you for putting my name on your accounts without telling me you were going to do it."
"Get over it," Hotch suggested sternly. "It was done years ago and you need to stop being mad about it. We're Lifemates, so it isn't like we're ever going to get a divorce and it was the right thing to do. It's what all Lifemate couples do, whether they ever officially tie the Knot or not. I have plenty of money and I know you're honest to a fault and that you won't spend a big chunk of it without checking with me first."
"I've never used it," Spencer pointed out, "and I don't ever intend to whether my name is on your account or not. You ought to know by now that I'm a simple man with simple taste and I make plenty of money on my own without having to dip into your account."
"It doesn't really matter," Hotch said with a nonchalant shrug. "It's there if you ever do need it and someday you might be grateful that it is or you might not. However, since we officially did tie the Knot, even if I put your name on my account long before that, it was not only the right thing to do, but something couples do all the time as most of them do have a joint checking account."
Spencer blushed, as he thought about the wedding ceremony that he and Hotch had had quietly at the courthouse. That had been a very happy day for him and he knew it had been for Aaron as well for despite the fact that he had told his mate that a commitment ceremony was enough for him he had always dreamed of actually getting married to the man he loved more than anything, although he never actually said so. Aaron had somehow known of his dream though and so he had actually gotten down on bended knee and proposed, which he had happily accepted. They had then decided against a big wedding ceremony and done it quietly, with only the team and his two brothers present at the ceremony.
Spencer often admired his engagement ring as it was a beautiful and fit him perfectly, as it was a simple white gold band encrusted with his favorite stone which was sapphires, although Aaron of course, had had to go even further and there was a emerald of just over a carat and a half in the center, rising above the band itself.
Spencer remembered how JJ, Emily and Garcia had oohed and ahhed over it thinking it was just lovely and he'd had to agree, though he wished at the time that Aaron hadn't gone and spent so much money on it since emeralds weren't cheap. He knew better than to say anything though, because Aaron would just tell him that he deserved it and that he just needed to accept it for what it was and that was the fact that he was loved and adored. Spencer hadn't bothered to try to convince his mate that it was too much since Aaron was one of the most stubborn men that Spencer had ever known and he knew it would do no good and he really did love the ring that his mate had chosen for him.
Aaron had told him that all werewolf couples bought stuff like this for their mates, if they could afford it that was to show that they were loved and appreciated as words weren't always enough. Spencer knew that Aaron would say that this was what couples did when they loved each other and not just Lifemates like they were, but human couples to. Aaron would tell him quite gruffly to get over it and that he had to learn to accept the fact, that he deserved nice things and just because his upbringing had been lousy was no reason to continue living without the finer things in life or live like a monk when he made plenty of money now. Besides, he wanted him to know that he was loved for more than just for the sex and Spencer knew that Aaron was correct and he needed to stop worrying about money, especially since they both made plenty. Aaron also had more than enough in the bank to have a good life even if he lived for 500 years. Spencer knew that he had increased his mate's portfolio of investments quite a bit, by about 8% in the last few years actually, which meant several million in additional funds which added to Aaron's already very healthy bank account as his inheritance from his parents had been quite large. The two of them didn't need to ever worry about money unless one of them did something monumentally stupid. Since neither one of them were rash or stupid and likely to fall for some sort of scam it was unlikely that the millions of dollars that Aaron had in several different bank accounts was going anywhere.
Aaron had given him several nice things over the years they had been together for his birthday and their anniversaries and not always jewelry as one time he had given him the entire series of Dr. Who on DVD and since it was his favorite show hands-down he hadn't objected, even though he had known that it had to have cost Aaron at least several hundred dollars.
"I forgave you a long time ago," Spencer admitted. "I might wish you had told me what you were going to do, but I suppose you knew I would try to talk you out of it, which is why you likely didn't inform me."
"It also has to do with the fact that I'm the Alpha of the relationship and therefore, ultimately in charge and so it was my decision," Hotch said. "As I told you already couples have joint bank accounts all the time, even when they aren't Lifemates like we are. I only added your name to my main checking account not to my savings account or other checking accounts. The bulk of my money is spread out over several banks as it's better not to put all your eggs in one basket or all your money in one bank especially when you have so much of it and that way if some hacker hacks into one of the bank systems you don't lose everything. My checking account has a set sum of money in it and is automatically refilled from one of my savings account so that it never drops below a certain amount. Yes, for most decisions we discuss options like we did when it came to using the IVF process for instance, since it involved both of us, but the decision about adding you to my main checking account was mine alone and this way I avoided an argument. I knew you wouldn't like it, just as you always complain when I shower you with expensive gifts, because you deserve them, but it still had to be done whether or not you liked it at the time or now."
"I know," Spencer sighed giving in just like he always did, because he knew that he'd never be able to win the argument, not when Aaron knew he was in the right.
"Accept that you deserve to be showered with gifts whether expensive or not, even though I know your upbringing was not ideal thanks to certain people who shall remain nameless. You wouldn't object to being given a genuine gift, one given from love and affection if you had been raised properly in a normal family. Most people accept gifts with thanks, whether it's something inexpensive or something very pricey like the engagement and wedding bands I got you."
"Not to mention a very nice watch that I'm afraid to wear to work in case it get's damaged, the gold necklace, the platinum men's bracelet that is inscribed on the backside and several other things. I really do love everything you've gotten me I just wish you'd stop spending so much to me that's all."
"Not going to happen," Hotch smiled knowing that his mate was being very sincere. "You deserve everything and more just for being the wonderful person that you are. You should have been receiving gifts for birthdays and Christmas when you were a child, which you didn't because that man you share your blood with was such a ponce. You had to grow up so poor, because your father left you with absolutely nothing and so you deserve to be spoiled a bit now, because you didn't get gifts like you should have as a pup. It doesn't matter how inexpensive that gift is just so you know that you've been thought about and are loved. It doesn't matter what kind of gift, as it could be just a toy you wanted, but couldn't afford or movie or theater tickets or a piece of jewelry or in your case probably a book. Besides, I like getting you gifts, just because I love you with every fiber of my being and your reaction is always pretty amusing too, which is a bonus."
Reid rolled his eyes at that last part of his mate's statement, but found he had to agree, at least if he was looking at it from Aaron's point of view he supposed his reactions to receiving an expensive gift would be considered pretty amusing.
"I'll say this once and then I'm not going to bring the subject up again and that is if you and your brothers had grown up normally you would've been receiving birthday and Christmas presents at least. Also most adults give each other gifts for their anniversary as well and again it doesn't matter how expensive that gift is just so long as it is thoughtful. It is a way to let a person know that they were thought about and that they didn't forget such an important date. More good relationships have broken up because, one spouse forgets an important date like an anniversary. Now, I know that's not really possible with the two of us, so in your case it shows you that I truly appreciate the changes you have brought into my life in the last few years and I also do it because as I said I love you."
"All right," Spencer said giving in. "I'll stop complaining, although I still think you spend way too much money."
"Noted," Hotch said with a smirk at the victory he'd won. "However, it is my money to use as I want and it isn't like I can't afford it, so there's really no point of complaining about the cost. As you know my parents were quite wealthy and I got the largest chunk along with my five other siblings born at the same time. Not to mention you have increased what was already a ridiculous amount just from your very astute investing and unless one of my descendents loses the money like in a stock market crash or something they are never going to have to worry about money either."
Spencer sighed, but didn't say anything because he knew that Aaron was correct.
"And just so you know I've already opened trust funds for your half siblings that you adopted awhile back and I'm going to do the same when ours are born. They will be taught to be responsible, just like I was when I was younger, except I don't plan on doing it in the same way that my parents did to me and my numerous siblings," Hotch said.
Spencer knew what that meant as he knew that Aaron's father in particular had been pretty abusive and had used to have methods making sure the seed of his loins were paying attention when he was teaching them things they needed to know. He knew that Aaron's father had used to slap his children around if he felt that their attention was lagging and had also used to rap their knuckles very harshly just like they had used to do in those Catholic schools run by nuns. Aaron's father's actions were abusive if only because there had been other ways that Aaron's father had used to get his children's attention, ways that were much worse and more harsh. What had happened to his mate when he was a child would definitely be considered child abuse, but Spencer knew that a lot of abuse was never caught or identified and even if it had been in this case it would not be a good idea for any of the children to go into foster homes, because of what they were. Spencer supposed it was just as well that that hadn't happened, although that didn't mean that he couldn't feel sorry for what his mate had had to endure. Spencer knew that the abuse he had suffered was largely responsible for turning his mate into what he was today and that was the man of ironclad conviction and that believed in justice and also why he was such a strong Alpha male, one that refused to back down for any reason. Still, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for him, because in some ways his childhood had been worse than his own, even though he knew that him feeling sorry for his mate was the last thing Aaron wanted.
"I give up," Spencer sighed raising his hands and surrender.
"Good, I'm glad you're being reasonable," Hotch said, as he pulled Spencer close and just enjoyed the flesh to flesh contact with the man he loved.
~~~The Alpha Werewolf and his Mate~~~
"You actually went ahead and did it?" Rossi asked his two teammates in amazement.
"Yep! We did," Hotch said with a smirk. "We were going to do it anyway, even if Strauss had lived, but having a section chief that is more understanding and doesn't have a grudge against me in particular certainly helped.
"It was always going to happen," Spencer repeated. "Aaron and I talked about it quite a few times before we finally decided to go ahead and do it. While we love our half siblings that we officially adopted, there's something about having a child with your own blood."
"I'm surprised you didn't mention it before you actually went ahead and did it," Morgan said speaking for the first time.
"Why?" Spencer asked his friend. "It was something between Aaron and I that didn't involve the rest of you as the decision was ours alone, so why should we mention it? Our private lives are exactly that… Private."
"Because I would've tried to talk you out of it," Morgan burst out. "I would think a dozen children is more than enough for anybody."
Spencer looked at Aaron and his expression said, I told you so!
Hotch smirked back and his expression conveyed very clearly his thoughts and they were: I knew in advance that it would be Morgan that would object the most as he still thinks he needs to protect you.
"Alright, enough of this private conversation, shit," Morgan complained.
Spencer turned back to his friend and told him very calmly, "The reason we didn't mention it as we both knew you would be the one to object, even though what Aaron and I decide to do outside of work is none of your concern. Both Aaron and I love children and while we both adore the children we already have, having some that has both our DNAs is something special to both of us."
"How did you accomplish that since you are both, you know?" asked Emily suddenly as she had been listening intently to the confrontation between Morgan and Reid and was quietly amused at Morgan's reaction.
"One of my sisters agreed to donate some eggs to the cause," Hotch explained calmly. "She's not married and doesn't even have a serious boyfriend. Spencer and I agreed that we'd make her the godmother to the children we have, so that she'll play a major part in their lives. She has agreed to raise them if anything should happen to Spencer and I, even if that's not very likely. I know what you are going to ask next, and the answer is no, she's not the surrogate as that would be too much like incest."
JJ deflated as that was going to be her question and yet Hotch had anticipated it and answered it before she could even voice it.
"Someone that Aaron known for years agreed to do it, as she felt that she owed him a favor because he's the one that introduced her to her husband and yes, the husband agreed to it to. The woman in question already has quite a few children of her own."
"So how many are you having?" asked JJ now.
"Well, originally we were going to do quadruplets and also four embryos is the number of that is legal to implant into a woman at one time was also a consideration," Hotch explained.
"However, we heard just a few days ago that two of the embryos split so we'll be getting two sets of identical twins and this is not all that unusual with the IVF process, but still I thought that maybe one of them would do that, not two," Spencer said
"Wow!" Emily whistled appreciatively. "So you are getting half a dozen children? That is if all the embryos turned into fetuses, since I know that's not always a sure thing."
"We are," Spencer admitted. "Just so you know identical twins seem to run in my family, even though scientists don't believe that identical twins run in family lines and that they're totally random. However, in my family's case I had Garcia do some research for me and she managed to trace my family tree back about 400 years and it turns out, that in almost every generation there is a set of identical twins from at least one of my ancestors as the Reids always have quite a few children apiece."
"So you're saying that at least one of your ancestors children had a set of identical twins for at least the last 400 years," JJ said.
"So it shouldn't be surprising that two of your embryos split until you get two sets of identical twins instead of one," Rossi finished JJ sentence.
"I was kind of surprised actually, as I expected maybe one of the embryos to do that, but not more than that. I know identical twins are more common with the IVF process, but still it was a totally unexpected event, not that I'm not happy about it, just surprised that it happened," Spencer said.
"Am I the only one that thinks two of them are crazy for wanting more children when they already have a dozen?" Morgan asked interrupting the conversation.
"Yes," Emily told him bluntly causing Morgan to stare at her in shock. "It wasn't like this was a spur of the moment decision, as this has been brewing for several years and they just finally decided that they were ready to do it. It shows their commitment to each other for one thing and for another they told all of us that they were thinking about adopting, but they just decided to do it this way instead. So as long as they talked about it extensively and it was a mutual decision then I don't have a problem with it because we both know that they will be loved."
"But with our jobs…" Morgan began.
"It was our decision Morgan," Hotch told his teammate bluntly. "Both Spencer and my family always have quite a few children and I don't see how it's any of your business whether we decided to go through the IVF process or not and the only reason we are informing you is so you have time to get used to the idea."
"Besides, we intend hire a nanny or even two just like we did for the others and it isn't like we can't afford it," Reid added.
"Give it up Morgan, they're right and you know it," JJ told the stubborn black man. "It was their decision and you have nothing to do with it, because not only are you not related to either one of them they're both grown men. Some people just naturally love children and don't mind having a dozen or more running around and that's the case with Hotch and Spence."
"They will be given plenty of love and attention when we're home just like we do for the other 12," Spencer added. "We make sure we spend plenty of time with all of them and also to give Maddy and Lisa, the nannies a break. Other people have careers that means they are gone a lot of the time from home and the children turn out just fine and this case is no different, even if we're much larger than the average American family."
"That's the understatement of the decade," Emily snorted in amusement genuinely happy for the pair.
Hotch shot her a smug and amused look that made Emily nearly laugh out loud, but she managed somehow to contain her mirth.
"Hey! I have no objection as I come from a large family myself, but then again I'm Italian," Rossi said holding up his hands in a defensive gesture when Morgan looked at him pleadingly. "I have 14 siblings, but of course, none of them are twins, just singletons, so you'll find no help for your argument from me. Besides, it's already a done deal so there's no point of arguing about it at all, as it can't be reversed. This is what Hotch and Reid wanted to, and it's to late to change their minds anyway, which I couldn't see happening, even if it wasn't an already irreversible decision. Once Aaron makes up his mind he almost never changes it and Reid is the same way."
Morgan threw up his hands in defeat and finally decided that Spencer and Hotch were right it really was not at his business at all and he silently admitted to himself that he didn't love children the way his two teammates did. He certainly hoped to have a couple of his own someday, but not the horde that Hotch and Spencer had even if they were their half sibling and not technically their children.
"Alright, I admit defeat," Morgan said raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Good," Spencer said while Hotch smirked at his subordinate. "It shouldn't have been an argument anyway, because Aaron's and my life are our own. I'm nearly 30 and I can make my own decisions and it doesn't matter whether you agree with my decisions or not, because you don't control me or the decisions I make. If you even suggest Aaron forced the decision on me I may just strangle you, because you should know by now that he would never do such a thing. If Aaron and I couldn't afford to have anymore then we wouldn't, it's as simple as that. Aaron and I talked about it quite a bit, before we decided to go ahead and do it. As JJ said this wasn't a spur of the moment decision, as it has this been brewing for several years, we just finally decided that we were ready for children of our own, ones that had both our DNAs."
"I would never suggest such a thing," Morgan told Spencer offended. "Alright, I might have in the beginning, but even I can see how happy the two of you are together. My main objection is that most people don't have such large families. I know you took in your siblings out of a sense of responsibility and to make sure they grew up in a good home, but I would think that would be enough for anyone to deal with, especially when you combine Hotch's eight with your four."
"It doesn't matter how many children most people have as you ought to know by now, both of us come from families with multiple siblings, although I freely admit that mine is much bigger then Spencer's is. So what what if Spencer and I don't follow the 2.3 kids rule, there are other families that are as large as ours, although I admit that it isn't exactly very common, but then most people don't have the money to support more than two or three kids or they might not want more then that, even if they do have the cash to raise them. The two of us however, have both a love of children and the money to support them."
And considering our upbringing that's a miracle even if our species loves pups, Hotch thought to himself, but he supposed that their kinds love of children was their species strongest trait, stronger then the abuse he had suffered. It was a very strong biological imperative, much stronger then the human one certainly.
Everybody seemed to agree, except for Morgan, but he at least elected to not to argue and keep his opinions to himself.
~~~The Alpha Werewolf and his Mate~~~
"Congratulations Spence, Aaron," Dylan told his brother and his mate. "I'm genuinely happy for you."
"What you aren't going to tell us that we have enough children to deal with and we shouldn't've done this?" Spencer asked his brother with a grin.
"No, why would I do that?" Dylan asked genuinely confused.
"Because that's what Morgan did," Hotch explained to Dylan with a snort to show what he thought of Morgan's opinion. "Morgan believes that with the dozen children we have, even if they're technically, our half siblings is more than enough, and that we shouldn't have gone ahead and done this."
Oh," Dylan said finally understanding what's Spence's comment had actually meant. "No, I'm not going to do that, because after all I'm a werewolf too, so I understand how important children are too our race. I've been spending a lot of time with the pack as I'm sure you know, since I'm not as busy as you are and I like watching all the children run around and it makes me yearn for some of my own."
"Morgan really didn't mean anything by his arguing," Spencer said, "he just can't understand why Aaron and I want so many children as he only has two sisters. In human families three children is enough for most of them. He doesn't realize that having children that share both our DNAs is really special, and while Aaron and I love the ones we adopted, there's just something special about having a few with your own blood."
"Morgan was only arguing because he was concerned that we were taking on more than we could handle, Spencer in particular, but that's what nannies are for. As Spencer told Morgan the other day if we couldn't afford to do this then we wouldn't have it's as simple as that."
"It was really none of his business anyway," Dylan commented and Spencer laughed, as Hotch smirked in agreement.
"No, it wasn't," Spencer told his brother, "but Morgan really does think of me as a little brother and he was only concerned for me and that I was taking on to much, which is why I didn't get upset at him. He's afraid that the children won't get enough attention, but we spend plenty of time with the ones we do have when we're home, even if that's mostly on weekends."
"How are Jamie, Sam, Richie and Barbara doing? I haven't had a chance to see them in awhile so I just want to know how they are doing." Dylan was of course, referring to his and Spencer's four half siblings that his brother had adopted when they're mother was murdered. Dylan knew the whole story behind how and why the mother was murdered and he totally approved of the Las Vegas packs actions, because he felt that anybody who would try to murder their own children, just because they were little different deserved what they got. Unlike Spencer who never wanted to take such actions into his own hands or even approved when it was necessary to take them had agreed that it was better to nip a problem in the bud. In his half siblings case, the pack in the area had given the mother a chance to accept that her children weren't completely human and it was only when she had tried to murder them that action had been taken to make sure the children weren't killed by her hand.
"They're fine," Hotch promised with a smile. "You should come by the house and spend sometime with them as they really miss their Uncle Dylan, Jamie in particular as he is very attached to you."
"I'm attached to him too," Dylan admitted, "all four of them really. Jamie makes me think of what it would be like to have a son of my own as he looks a lot like I did when I was younger. Oh, his eyes are hazel instead of brown, but the color of the hair is almost exactly the same as is the shape of the cheekbones and eyes and even the chin. The only other differences seems to be that Jamie's hair is curly rather than straight like my own and he has his mother's nose and mouth."
"Well, then you need to find yourself a good woman and settle down," Spencer suggested with a smile.
"I really haven't had much time to even think of looking considering that I've been busy setting up and running my own business," Dylan admitted. "Now that things have settled down somewhat though and my business is making money, I might have time to actually get myself a girlfriend."
"So your business is going well?" Hotch asked, as he had been the one to loan Dylan some capital to get started."
"Extremely well," Dylan said. "It's going so well that I'm already thinking about expanding even though I've only been in business a few years."
"You don't need to expand to fast and that's a good way to get yourself in trouble," Spencer warned.
"I know," Dylan said, "and I won't. I'll always ask you for advice before I decide to go ahead and do it. In any case, my electronic shop is extremely popular as I always have the newest electronics and my prices are most of the time more reasonable then some of the other places like Best Buy for instance. However, I do have an idea for you."
"What's that?" asked Hotch just a little curiously wondering what Dylan had been thinking.
"Well, I was just thinking that I could take Jamie off your hands when you're traveling and give the nannies a break from him as it will mean one less kid to worry about. For the first couple of years I couldn't do that, because I was busy making sure that my business was a success, but now I have several people who can run the shop in my absence, part-time employees for the most part. I use them normally a few days before the full moon and a few days afterwards. Yes, I realize that I could go directly back to work after the full moon is over with, but I take a few days just to relax."
"You deserve to take a few days here and there," Spencer said. "You can't work all the time after all and you need time to run errands and just to relax."
"You two practically work all the time," Dylan playfully accused them.
"Not really, although I know it seems like we work a lot," Hotch admitted. "We don't have set hours like most jobs, which is why it seems like we're always on the go, but there're times of peace and quiet, which Spencer and I enjoy."
It didn't really need to be stated why both men enjoyed those quiet times, because Dylan wasn't stupid and he could guess that they spent a lot of that time in bed having sex, but so long as his brother was happy then he didn't have a problem with it unlike Morgan had in the beginning. It was easy to see that Spencer was very happy and content with Aaron and so Dylan would support their relationship, because if anybody deserved some happiness it was his brother who had done his best to look after him and Trevyn when they were younger. Besides, he owed Aaron a lot for helping him start up his business, as he really hadn't had to loan him the money to do that, but he had told him and his brother Trev that since they were family, so he would be happy to. Trev had decided to take the offer made by Aaron's brother Sean, since both lived in New York and as far as he knew his brother's business was booming.
"If you want to look after Jamie sometimes when we are gone, that's fine with Spencer and I," Hotch said, not even having to look at his mate and know that Spencer wouldn't mind leaving Jamie with Dylan. "You will of course, be paid for babysitting."
"Oh, there is the reason to pay me," Dylan protested, "you're family after all and so is Jamie."
"You will be paid," Hotch said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Spencer and I are often gone for days at a time and we can't expect you to look after one of our pups for free, even if you're willing. It's not like we'll only be gone for a few hours, as we could be gone anywhere from a couple of days to a week or more, depending how canny and intelligent our unsub is."
"Alright then," Dylan said finally giving in because he knew Hotch well enough to know that he wasn't going to change his mind once he made it up.
"You can use the money to take Jamie to places like the zoo and other kid friendly places," Spencer suggested. "or use it to put gas in your car. We'll make sure we call often to see how you're doing."
"And if it turns out you can handle one pup, then maybe you'll agree to take the other three with you to other places, even if you bring them back home afterward, because after all they're your half siblings too and you need to build a relationship with him just like you have with Jamie," Hotch said.
"Besides, it's good practice in case you have kids of your own someday," Spencer said smirking at his brother.
"Considering I don't even have a girlfriend at the moment, that isn't too likely," Dylan snorted.
"You should start dating again and you don't necessarily have to find your mate in order to get married or even have pups you know," Hotch said. "Werewolves marry all the time whether they've found their mate or not, as you know, even if those relationships end in divorce, although in that case it was more your father's laziness and inability to at least try to work things out that caused that relationship to end. He didn't even bother to get a divorce and he certainly saw nothing wrong with having children outside the marriage. A lot of people of both sexes cheat, but usually the males are more careful to not get a female pregnant. He was unwilling to put up with your mother's illness, even though she was pretty much fine so long as she took her medication, but he wasn't willing to put in the effect to make sure she did."
"In other words, William Reid was unwilling to put in the effect required to maintain his relationship with mom," Spencer said. "Just like Aaron said it was pure and utter laziness on William Reid's part as he was unwilling to put in the time or the work required to make his marriage last."
"Yes, I'm well aware of what a bastard, our father was," Dylan spat.
Hotch smirked at the language that Dylan used and not only because he agreed a hundred percent with the term bastard, but because Spencer didn't bother to correct his brother for his language like he normally would, which meant that his mate agreed with his brother's opinion.
"And by the way, I'll be glad to take Barbara, Sam and Richie on day trips along with Jamie to the zoo and the like as they're lots of kid friendly places around Washington and Virginia, because you're right, I do need to get to know them better as I might have children of my own someday."
"Good," Spencer told his brother pleased. "I know Jamie adores you, but the others will too if you just give them a chance to get over their shyness around you. A lot of children at their age are shy and Jamie is the only one that isn't. I was certainly pretty shy at that age and believe me, I remember those days well, where I preferred to be by myself or just around my family and not be around strangers. I could bet you good money that either William Reid or his twin brother Robert were the same way as children, although we'll never know for sure."
"It's a very strong possibility," Hotch agreed, "because a lot of times that kind of trait is passed down to the children from one or even both parents and they'll eventually grow out of it. Spencer certainly has at least in most cases."
Spencer blushed at his mate's compliment. Aaron was always complimenting him and he knew he did it purpose so that he would know that his lover was proud of him and he knew that Aaron also did it because his father had never given him a compliment in his entire life, not even a backhanded one. In fact, William Reid had gone out of his way to criticize a young Spencer, no matter how well he did in class or how often he showed how much he knew just from the stuff he read. He knew Aaron was trying to make up for all his childhood years when he had never heard a kind word out of his own father's mouth and in fact, was constantly criticized, although his mother had complimented him when she was well, but after she got sick that had stopped. Even after all these years he still didn't know how to take his mate's sincere compliments, so his automatic reaction was to blush, and no matter how much he tried to stop that reaction he never could, probably because he still wasn't used to receiving nice words from a man he loved and respected, though he knew he should be by this time.
"To change the subject to some more pleasant, Aaron and I discussed it, and we would like to name you the godfather to the six children," Spencer told his brother.
"Are you sure?" Dylan asked in surprise.
"Yes, because for one thing you're the only one that lives in the area," Spencer explained. "Trev lives pretty close by, but we were thinking about naming you godfather to all six children, because he doesn't live as close by as you do and so won't be able to visit as often."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I'm sure that Trev will be happy to be named godfather to half of those children, even if he does live in New York. It's not really fair to exclude him just because he doesn't live close by. Besides, he is only a short train or car ride away and I'm sure he'll visit often. If he doesn't accept, which I consider unlikely that I'll be glad to be the godfather of the all six instead of just three."
Hotch and Spencer looked at each other and Hotch nodded and so Spencer agreed.
"Alright, you're correct, I was considering the distance between here and New York and that Trev probably wouldn't be able to visit very often since he does not live in the area, but he also has a money to travel now unlike a few years ago."
"So what sexes are you hoping for?" asked Dylan. "Boys or girls or both?"
"We're actually hoping we get three of each," Hotch answered, "but we won't know for months yet and since four of those are two sets of identical twins they will be the same sex and whether that's four boys, four girls or one set of each we'll find out when they are born. In any case, no matter what we get we will love them no matter what."
"Definitely," Spencer immediately agreed.
"Well, here's to hoping you get your wish," Dylan said raising his glass of soda as he had never been much of a drinker just like Spence so soda was fine. Actually, the truth of the matter was that none of the three of them were drinkers, and in his case, except for an occasional glass of wine he wasn't the type to drink or to hang out in bars or clubs.
"Here's to hoping," Hotch and Spencer echoed also raising their glasses, coffee Spencer's case and tea in Hotch's.
"And to the birth of my nieces and nephews, may they all be born healthy," Dylan toasted.
"Here! Here!" Hotch agreed wholeheartedly, Spencer echoing him.
"Even if we don't know the sexes yet," Spencer added after a moment, "not that it matters what we get because as Aaron said earlier we'll love them no matter what. Besides, the odds are in our favor, when it come to hoping we get some of each, especially with so many. I'm not saying getting all of one sex isn't possible, just that the odds are extremely small for that happening."
"And here's to a trouble free pregnancy and birth for Anastasia as Spencer and I will be forever grateful to her for her offering to do this for us," Hotch added.
"And for her husband Thierry allowing her to," Spencer added with a smile.
"So this Anastasia offered to carry the embryos for you," Dylan asked us he had not known this.
"She did, but not without the consent of her Lifemate, Thierry," Hotch said. "They both feel as if they owe me, because I kind of introduced them years ago now. I told them that they didn't owe me anything, but they insisted they did and so when they found out that Spencer and I wanted pups, well, they made this offer. They only agreed to do it once, which was fine since we already have a dozen pups."
"And the other stipulation was that we had to find somebody else to donate the eggs," Spencer added.
"Which was understandable as most werewolf females would never agree to carry somebody else's pups in their belly, even if it wasn't their eggs being used. In any case, it was a stipulation I easily agreed to, because I know very well that a female of our kind would never allow herself to become pregnant, by anybody other than her husband, or allow anyone to extract her eggs for their use."
"So this was a good compromise," Dylan said and Hotch and Spencer agreed immediately.
"It was, although the Delacroixs offer shocked the hell out of me at first, because it was so unusual as I'm pretty sure that no female of our kind has ever volunteered to carry someone else's pups, even if the female in question eggs weren't being used," Hotch said. "However, I wasn't about to turn down the offer, because both Thierry and Anastasia agreed together that this was a way they could pay me back for introducing them. They're the type of people that don't like to feel indebted to anyone even if that person is a good friend.
"Trying to tell them they didn't owe me anything, that they didn't have to do this, that it had been mere coincidence that they were mates and that I had only introduced them, well, didn't wash with them. I'm not about to complain though, since I could tell the offer was genuine made out of friendship and not obligation, even if they don't like to be indebted to anyone. I would never have agreed to the offer if I didn't believe it was made out of friendship and that it was genuine. No matter how much Spencer and I wanted pups we always could've found a human to use as a surrogate, although I doubt we could have convinced one to carry more than twins, since unlike werewolves multiples are pretty rare, especially triplets and higher."
"And human women also aren't as sturdy as werewolves females," Spencer added. "Werewolf females are made for carrying multiples and so they carry them more easily and for longer then most human women can. Twins always come notoriously early when it comes to human females, and the more a human female is carrying the sooner she goes into labor at least normally, although some manage to carry them for longer then what is the norm. Of course, the females of our kind still have to deal with the associated symptoms of pregnancy, aching feet, hurting back, odd food cravings and the like and carrying multiples makes those symptoms worse for most woman, although every female is different. This is why until the 20th century, even twins could die at birth, along with the mother, but now, if you have more than three, well, we have the medical technology that helps multiples of higher orders live full lives in most cases and the mothers to, of course, this wasn't true until the late 20th century."
"So you're not worried about your friend Anastasia?" asked Dylan.
"No, because for the most part werewolves give birth easily, even if they are carrying multiples," Hotch explained. "Sometimes a c-section is required, but for the most part, even if a female is carrying quadruplets or more they give birth naturally which has amazed doctors for at least the last hundred years. Werewolf females are made to give birth to multiples and in that way the woman are just like their wolf counterpart."
"Wow! I didn't know that," Dylan said. "I admit I know a lot more about our kind than I did a few years ago but still..."
"If that useless ponce you used to call father had done his duty like he should have you would know all the ins and outs of our kind," Hotch growled in a disgusted tone of voice. "It's part of our upbringing that we learn about our kind, so there're extra lesson after school, mostly on weekends for at least a few hours every day, so that by the time we go off to college we know all about our kind and how we are different from normal humans. We are taught our history, our tradition and our laws and I'm sure you know by now that most of our laws are extremely harsh, but then they need to be, because humans in general cannot find out that we exist."
"Yes, I understand that," Dylan said. "Rolf has been kind to teach me what I should have learned as a pup, just as I know you've been teaching my brother here, which is one of the reasons I spend so much time hanging out with the pack."
"Also looking for a little female companionship?" Spencer suggested with a grin at his brother.
"Maybe," Dylan hedged, which made even Hotch grin because he could hear the denial in Dylan's voice which meant that Spencer was correct.
"You're lonely," Spencer said studying his brother.
"Yeah, yeah, I am," Dylan admitted softly. "I know I have you and Aaron and your children, you're family, but..."
"You see how happy Aaron and I are and you want the same thing for yourself," Spencer suggested shrewdly.
"Yeah, that's right," Dylan admitted. "I don't want you to think that I resent you for being so happy, because I don't if anybody deserves it you do, but..."
"You want the same thing for yourself," Hotch repeated his mate's earlier words. "I understand how you feel, believe me, because before I met Spencer I was lonely as well. That's why I used to be a workaholic as it kept me distracted from that loneliness. I used to stay in my office for hours dealing with the paperwork that the government seems to require and I only went home in order to sleep and spend time with my pups. I don't do that anymore, though there'll always be plenty of paperwork to do. Still, the higher-ups can just wait for their damn reports, as I have better things to do nowadays besides, staying in my office completing all that paperwork, even though I know it's necessary."
The way that Hotch looked at Spencer then caused Dylan to blush, as the look was lustful, lavish and extremely possessive. It was if his brother-in-law was looking at Spencer as if he was a possession, but then again his brother didn't seem to mind. In fact Spencer turned to his mate and looked at him the exact same way as if Aaron was his and no one else's. Dylan now understood that mentality much better than he had used to because Rolf had taken the time to explain it. Rolf had explained to him that Lifemates looked at each other in a possessive manner all the time, as if they had something precious that needed to be protected and that was exactly the way the wolves in general thought, particularly Alpha males. Dylan remembered going to talk to Rolf the first time he saw how possessive Aaron was of his brother, as he had looked at Spencer with a hungry possessive look. The Alpha of the Washington pack had taken time to explain exactly why Aaron was doing that and assuaged his fears that his brother's partner might hurt him. Rolf had explained very calmly that Lifemates did indeed look at each other in a possessive manner and as property, because the wolf saw them as the one person who would never betray them. He had further explained that Lifemates looked at each other as their mate's property and no one else's and that there was nothing wrong with this view. It just meant that they would never cheat on each other with anybody else and that it was just a wolf's mentality to look upon their mate as their possession, a possession that belonged to them alone. Also that particular mindset would protect them from other wolves, especially ones like Spencer who was an Omega the lowest rank within any wolfpack and that usually meant gentle, quiet and unwilling to defend themselves whether from verbal or physical abuse. The other two ranks of werewolves were stronger not only in personalty, but usually physically as well. Aaron, as his mate would go out of his way to defend Spencer from others of the pack who tried to attack him whether verbally, or physically or even order him around, since some Alphas liked to throw their weight around. Thanks to Spencer being Aaron's mate it would protect him from other wolves who would try to take advantage of him. Dylan had been assured that Aaron would never hurt his brother as Lifemates could never hurt each other, that they could never be abusive towards each other, as that would be physically harming. It wasn't that Aaron and Spencer wouldn't argue, as all couples whether Lifemate's or not were going to, but they would make up afterwards.
"Sorry, we got kind of sidetracked," Spencer apologized blushing turning back to his brother after giving Aaron a kiss on the cheek.
"It's fine," Dylan assured the pair. "I know very well that this is just the way Lifemates act as there are several pairs in the pack that live in the surrounding area and I see them acting all lovey-dovey all the time. It sure does make me long for a mate of my own, though."
"Then you need to start asking some of those lovely girls in the pack out," Spencer urged his brother. "I doubt very much that you've met every single woman in the pack and it's possible that your mate is one that's married, since werewolves do marry each other, even if they are not Lifemates."
"It's not very likely that my mate will be part of the Washington pack," Dylan told Spencer. "The odds of both of us finding our mates within the same pack, well there are so minuscule as I'm going to not bother calculating them."
Hotch snorted at that for at that moment Dylan sounded so much like his mate that it was uncanny, but then again he should expect some similarities considering Spencer and Dylan were two of a pair of triplets after all.
"No, it isn't very likely," Hotch admitted, "especially considering that your friend Bella also found her Lifemate within the Washington pack and the odds of that were astronomical, so for three people from the Las Vegas pack to find there mate within the same pack, well, it is very likely, though I'm not saying it's not possible."
"I agree with, Aaron," Spencer chipped in. "The odds of you finding your mate within the local pack are more than a billion to one. I know that werewolves move into the Washington and Virginia areas all the time, and join the local pack, but the statistics still aren't good."
"No kidding," Dylan snorted, "I figured that out for myself thanks."
"Just because you haven't found your Lifemate should not prevent you from falling in love and getting married, even if I understand that's kind of hard for you considering your upbringing and your father leaving the family. It happens to children whether human or wolf all the time as children with your type of upbringing tend not to know if they are feeling love or not when they are attracted to someone. They'll dismiss it as lust or mutual attraction, but not love. The Lifemate bond between Spencer and I just removes the uncertainty from the equation," Hotch explained.
"I'm not sure I can trust if I feel something like that for a female I'm dating," Dylan admitted. "You're likely right that it has something to do with our upbringing, but even if it doesn't I don't know what I can do about it or if I can trust my feelings."
"I know, even for children who have happy childhoods have trouble knowing what they feeling for someone and are often uncertain as to whether or not they are truly in love or if it's just lust and mutual attraction," Spencer said. "Considering that we didn't have much of an upbringing that makes it least three times more difficult to know if you're truly in love. I told Aaron that if we didn't have the Lifemate bond that it was doubtful if I ever would have fallen in love and married, because I'd be too afraid to tell a female I thought I loved them if they were a human or that I'm a werewolf. The opposite side of that argument is that if it was another werewolf I'd be too afraid that I didn't really love the female in question and that's only if I was brave enough to ask some women out no matter the species as I'd have been too afraid of rejection. I'm certainly nothing like Morgan, who has a new girlfriend every few months, and sometimes every couple weeks."
"That's not a bad thing," Hotch told Spencer gently. "Morgan's problem is that he's not letting himself truly fall in love and I believe that his father's death when he was 10 affected him deeply, so that he's afraid to commit a case something happens to the person he loves."
"Wait Morgan's father was killed when he was 10?" Dylan asked truly startled.
"We shouldn't have said anything in front of you as it something private that Morgan shared with the team during a case a few years back," Spencer explained, "and it was hard for him to do so. His father was a police officer and Morgan saw him murdered by a pair of gunmen because the two of them had stopped at a convenience store to pick up some items for the house. He was shot in the belly and he didn't survive the surgery, but considering it was the late 70s I'm not surprised he didn't."
"That kind of thing can effect anyone," Dylan said sympathetically.
"Please don't say anything to Morgan or anybody else, as Aaron and I shouldn't've said anything about it with you here," Spencer asked his brother.
"You know I won't," Dylan promised. "I feel sorry for Morgan though, as that's bound to shade any future relationships."
"Which is likely why Morgan acts the way he does when it comes to relationships," Hotch said and Dylan nodded agreeing with that.
"And why he's so overprotective of those he cares about," Spencer added,
The three continued talking for another hour before Dylan finally took his leave and as soon as he was gone Hotch ordered his mate upstairs and to their bedroom, which Spencer obeyed immediately and eagerly as he had been wanting his mate for at least the last couple of hours. He hadn't wanted to rush his brother however, out of the door because the two of them really didn't get to see as much of each other as they would like, even though Dylan lived in the area, so Spencer certainly saw him more than he did Trev who lived in New York.
~~~The Alpha Werewolf and his Mate~~~