In this story, Henry and Hailey do not exist. Though, Will and Henry both do. I do not own any of the characters of Criminal Minds and all rights belong to the producers of the show. The idea for this story came from Turning Back Time by maxandkinz. You should go check theirs out! I hope you enjoy! :)
Chapter 1: The Plan
"Please don't," Spencer whimpered, as the unsub dug the syringe into his bicep. Tears swelled in his eyes as he began to feel the effects of whatever substance had been injected into his system. Within seconds, his vision blurred and he lost consciousness.
BANG! He awoke to the sound of a gunshot and his team quickly surrounding him. "Spence, oh my God is that you?" JJ's muffled voice filled his ears. "Well, I'll be damned. That SOB must have injected him with something," Derek growled. "Spencer, can you hear us? Spencer?"
At some point, he managed to fully open his eyes. He could feel that something was wrong, just not sure what exactly. Until he looked down and saw his oversized clothing. What the hell? "Hotch, what happened to me?" he cried. "The unsub must have given you some sort of anti-aging serum. Don't worry. We will figure this out," Hotch responded, gently. "What? What do you mean?" His voice cracked as he spoke. Why did he sound so young? And why did he feel like bursting into tears? He could normally manage his emotions but for some reason, he felt like falling to the ground kicking and screaming. "Spencer, it seems as though you are a... toddler," Rossi explained. There's no way.
The team made their way back to the station where they could question the unsub. "What the hell did you give him you son of a bitch?" Prentiss demanded. The man let out an unsettling laugh. "I gave him something I have been working on for quite some time now. I am actually very pleased with the results." "I am sure you are. I hope you keep that attitude when you're locked up in federal prison," Derek threatened, followed by "now tell us how to change Dr. Reid back!"
"Calm down, it's not permanent. He will be back to normal eventually...I'm just not sure of when." Prentiss stormed out of the room in frustration while Derek slammed his hand on the table. "You are one sick bastard," he growled but the man seemed unphased. "Get him out of here, I'm done with him," the agent motioned for the officers to take the man away. "How the hell are we going to do this?" He muttered under his breath and searched for the rest of his team.
"How are you holding up, kid?" Derek asked. The toddler, who was now curled up in JJ's arms answered with a pouty lip. "Oh my sweet little genius," Garcia cooed, kissing the young boy on his head. "Conference room, now please," Hotchner called out to his team, motioning for them to follow.
As the team settled in their chairs around the table, with a moody Spencer still clinging onto JJ, Hotch began explaining the plan. "Alright," he started, "we've learned that the serum is not permanent, but we have no idea how long it is going to last. So until it wears off, we are going to have to make a plan for taking care of Spencer. Since we all still have jobs, it is in our best interest that we all stay at my place. That way, we can take turns babysitting while the rest of us go into work-" he was cut off by an upset Reid.
"Babysit? I am an adult! I don't need babysitting" he persisted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Spencer, I hate to break it to you but you are a kid. You aren't able to do things by yourself anymore," Emily explained with slight amusement in her voice. "Hey! This is not funny! This is bullshit!" the toddler huffed. "Spencer, she's right. You aren't an adult anymore. You are a child and that means you are going to need a family. I will take the place of your dad and the rest of the team will be like aunts and uncles. Well, Rossi can be your grandpa," he chuckled. "Hey man. I'm not that old," Rossi defended, causing all to burst into laughter.
"And Spencer, since you are a toddler now, there are rules you are going to need to follow. That includes not swearing, so watch your language. I'll let it slide this time, but in the future there will be consequences. We can discuss the rest of the rules at home. For now, the ladies will be in charge of getting you new clothes and any other supplies a child might need. The rest of us will finish out our work and then we can all meet back at my place."
Spencer did not like being treated like a child. He was still an adult! And what could he possibly mean by consequences? Hotch had to be kidding. Though, his anger subsided a bit when he looked around at his loving team. It might be nice to have a real family and childhood for once. A small smile came across his face as he buried himself against his Aunt JJ.