I hope you all are enjoying it so far! This is such a fun story to write :)
Chapter 2: The First Night
The team settled around Hotchner's living room. Spencer was now cuddled up against Garcia as she was feeding him various candies from her purse. Hotchner made his way up to the front of the room, gathering everyone's attention. "Okay, so first up we can discuss sleeping arrangements. Spencer, the ladies set up a bed for you in my room. As for the rest of you, I have two guest bedrooms. Rossi and Morgan you can take one and Garcia and Prentiss can take the other. JJ, I assume you will still be staying at your house so that you can be with Will and Henry?"
"Yes sir," JJ confirmed. "Perfect. Now for babysitting duty. Garcia, since you are the only one with knowledge of the tech room equipment, you won't be assigned a day. The rest of us will each take one day Monday through Friday," he explained. "Are you saying I won't get to spend time with my little sugar plum boy?" She whined, tickling Spencer's tummy causing him to let out a giggle. "No, of course not. You will still have nights and weekends to spend with him but we need you during the work week," he responded, amused at her nickname.
"Now Spencer, I know you won't be fond of this but it's time we discuss the rules." Reid let out a huff but did not protest much more. "First off, you are not to leave this house alone. Someone must know where you are at all times. Second, your bedtime is at 8:30 sharp. Little ones need lots of rest. Third, you are not to use any swear words, just like we discussed earlier. Fourth, you are allowed to express your emotions, but there had better not be any tantrums, hitting or yelling unless someone is trying to harm you. Finally, no sweets unless you have eaten all of your dinner," he finished with a glare at Garcia and the boy who were still munching on purse candies. "Oops, sorry about that sir…" Penelope quickly shoved the rest of the candy into her bag which caused Reid and the rest of the team to burst into laughter.
Hotch smiled before continuing on, "Now, I expect that everyone helps make sure Spencer is following these rules. You are all allowed to dole out any consequences that you feel necessary based on his behavior," he explained. The team nodded but Spencer did not like this part of the speech. "What do you mean by conse- conseque" the toddler struggled to pronounce the word but Hotch understood the question. "I mean things like timeouts, early bedtimes, loss of desserts or toys, or even spanking if your behavior calls for it," the team leader explained to the toddler.
"Hey! You are not allowed to spank me!" Spencer protested, now standing up with his arms crossed over his chest. "I certainly am. And so is the rest of your family. Now, you had better lose the attitude before you experience your first punishment," Hotchner threatened with a stern voice. The toddler quickly sat back down, not wanting to test the boundaries. "Good choice, kiddo. You nearly got yourself a date with that corner over there" Morgan laughed.
Spencer was still not happy with the idea of consequences but he knew that his new dad was not playing around. "Okay. I will be good," the toddler gave in. "We love you Spence. We just want the best for you," JJ chimed in. The team nodded and mumbled in agreement. "I think it's time for a big Italian style group hug!" Rossi hopped to his feet. The team cheered and surrounded their youngest family member in a loving swarm of hugs and kisses.
"Alright ladies and gents, while I would love to stay for more family bonding, I think I had better get home before Henry starts fussing," JJ gathered up her belongings. "Seeya Spence, be good," she said and leaned down to kiss his head. "I will! Bye bye aunt JJ!" he responded back, embracing her. The rest of their team said their goodbyes while Hotch made his way over to the mini Dr. Reid.
"C'mon mister, it's time to get you cleaned up and ready for bed," he said, attempting to lift the boy into his arms. "Hey wait! You said my bedtime was 8:30! It's only 7:48!" he objected. "Yes, but you still need a bath, and I want you to be able to play with your new bath toys," he explained, lifting the protesting child into his arms. "No, no, no. No bath for me," he huffed. "Spencer Reid, are you talking back to me? I was hoping we would not have to use consequences on your first day as a toddler but if-" the man's scolding was cut off. "No wait! I will be good, I promise!" Reid pleaded. "Good. Now let's head upstairs."
Hotchner carried his new son up to the bathroom and started his bath water. "Alright, you get undressed and hop into the tub. Do not touch the shower handles, I don't want you to turn the temp too hot and burn yourself. I will be back in a few minutes with your towel and new bath toys," he smiled, patting Spencer on the head. The boy undressed out of his oversized work clothes and made his way into the warm bath. With his dad gone and his mom always experiencing her episodes, he had never really gotten to experience the fun of childhood, including bathtime. It was much more comforting than he had expected. He could get used to this.
"Okay, I brought you some pajamas, toys and a towel. Oh, and I even found some special soap to make it a bubble bath!" Hotchner said. Spencer squealed excitedly at the thought of toys and a bubble bath, making his new guardian laugh. Hotch dumped some of his new toys into the bathtub along with the soap. As Spencer splashed around, Hotch began washing his hair. Once he had finished cleaning the boy up, he gave him some time to play while he left to get ready for bed.
Once he was ready for bed, he came back in to get Spencer. "Alright kiddo, it's time to get out," he held up the towel. Spencer didn't want bathtime to be over, but he knew it was not up for his discussion so he climbed into the warm towel and dried himself off. Hotch helped him get dressed into his pajamas and brush his teeth before carrying him into their bedroom.
"Wow! Is that bed for me?" the toddler exclaimed in excitement, and hurried over to the race car bed next to his dads. "Hey! No jumping on the bed! You could fall and get hurt. I do not want to see you doing that again, do you hear me?" The older man scolded, causing the toddler to quickly plop down on his bottom. "Oh, I'm sorry sir," he apologized, tears filling his eyes. "Hey hey hey, it's no big deal. You aren't in trouble. Just make sure you don't do it again, he soothed the teary eyed child. "Let's go tell everyone goodnight, okay?" The father and son journeyed to each of the others bedrooms so Spencer could give goodnight hugs and kisses.
Now back in their own bedroom, Hotchner tucked the little boy into bed with a kiss on the forehead. "Hey Hotch? I love my bed and all...I really do. But would it be okay if I slept in yours tonight? I'm just-" he blushed, trying to figure out the best way to explain his fear of the dark. "No need to explain. Of course you can, Spencer," Hotch said, lifting the boy into bed with him. Snuggled up into his dad's chest, the toddler had one last thought to share. "So, since you are my dad now...do you think...do you think I could call you…" Hotchner cut the boy off and snuggled him even closer. "Of course, Spencer. I would love that," he kissed the top of his head. Spencer smiled. "Goodnight Daddy." "Goodnight kiddo."