"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear SPENCER, happy birthday to you!" sang the voices of his family as SPENCER was roused from his sleep.

Grinning, he rubbed his eyes, finally focusing on the three figures surrounding his bed. In his mom's hands was a birthday cake, five candles burning brightly on top.

"Happy birthday peanut," Aaron said warmly, kissing the top of SPENCER's head as he puhed hisself up.

"Make a wish," Dave said softly, holding the cake in front of SPENCER.

SPENCER smiled, thinking for a moment before taking a deep breath and blowing on the candles perched on top of his cake. As he did, JJ appeared from beneath the duvet, snuggling next to SPENCER.

"Oooh, two girlfriends!" Derek teased as two candles remained lit atop the cake. SPENCER quickly blew them out, his cheeks flushing red as he stuck his tongue out at his brother.

Aaron grinned, holding out his hands to help SPENCER to his feet. Mr Toes jumped from his lap as he started to move from his bed, trotting along behind Dave, who was now carrying SPENCER's cake from the room.

Together, they made their way out to begin their day of celebrations.

Arround half an hour later, dave and aaron were yet to see their youngest emerge from his room.

"Ill go check on him" Dave said.

Slowly opening SPENCER's bedroom door, Dave found his son sleeping in the mess of linens that he called a bed. One of his blankets was hanging down on the floor, his stuffed turtle entangled in it. A stray pillow was also lying against the wall beneath the window. What remained on the bed was tangled around SPENCER's body.

Grinning, Dave gently crossed the room, sitting down on the edge of the bed. SPENCER wasn't going to school, but he needed to get up and try to keep a normal as possible sleep cycle. Dr Edmonds had advised that it would make the first few treatments easier if his sleep was as normal as possible.

Placing his hand on SPENCER's shoulder, he leant down next to his ear. "Rise and shine," he said in a soft sing song voice.

"No," SPENCER groaned, pulling his pillow over his head.

Dave laughed. "Come on monkey, you need to get up, its your birthday. We have to keep your day as free of disruptions as possible"

SPENCER huffed, grabbing the pillow on his head and dropping it down onto the floor as he sat up, wincing slightly as the movement pulled on his central line.

Untangling herself from the sheets, SPENCER swung his legs over the edge of the bed, grabbing his beanie from his nightstand.

"I'll leave you to get dressed. I'll make you some breakfast, ok? What would you like?" Dave said warmly, rising from his place on the edge of the bed.

SPENCER thought for a moment, tugging the beanie onto his head. "Can I have pancakes?"

Dave smiled. "I think I can manage that. You get dressed and make your bed, and then come downstairs, ok?"

SPENCER nodded, watching as his father left the room and pulled the door closed behind him. Getting to his feet, he crossed the room and stood in front of the mirror as he pulled his sleep shirt over his head.

Standing there in just his pyjama bottoms, he took in the image before his. Even though only weeks had passed since his diagnosis, he looked to have lost some of his muscle tone, and his skin looked paler than usual.

The central line hung down to almost the bottom of his left ribs, the top covered with a sterile dressing to keep out infection. The triple lumen tubing gave SPENCER a lump in his throat; it was the first sign that he couldn't pretend the cancer wasn't there.

Grabbing a shirt out of his open closet, he tugged it over his head. Swapping his pyjama pants for sweats, he straightened the beanie on his head and closed the door once more.

Turning around, he went back over to his bed, quickly straightening all the linens until it looked presentable again. Setting his pillow and his turtle down at the headboard, he smiled, crossing his bedroom and leaving the room.

As he slowly made his way down the stairs, his hands holding the wall for support, he spotted the large banners on the walls, the balloons decorating the room and the pile of presents littering the living room floor.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he shuffled into the kitchen, stopping in the doorway as he watched his dad flipping pancakes.

"hey spence, happy birthday" Aaron said, scooping his son up into his arms and spinning him around the kitchen.

Spencer giggled until Aaron set him down on the floor. "Hi, daddy" he said back, still giggling a little.

The morning had passed quietly. SPENCER had opened his gifts which included new books, new beanies, new clothes, and a brand new soccer ball ("Even if I can't kick it, I can throw it at Derek' head"). An extra box had included some new toys, so SPENCER spent the majority of the morning lying on the couch, lazily flicking a rod with a piece of fluff attached to a string, giggling whenever his sister pretending to be a cat dove for it.

Around lunchtime, things had taken a momentary downward turn. Having decided to try and eat some food orally, SPENCER had been settled at the table with some apple slices and a few Oreo cookies, the only two foods he really seemed to enjoy when he was coming off chemo.

After finishing two cookies and a slice of apple, however, he had ended up leaning over the garbage can, puking up everything in his stomach.

"Well that was your excitement for the day, huh?" Aaron said as SPENCER finally stopped retching, holding his so he wouldn't lose his balance.

"Was that chemo sick or just because you felt like it sick?" Dave asked dryly. SPENCER managed a small giggle as he accepted the cup of water his mom passed to his.

"My stomach felt full pretty much straight away. And then as soon as I ate the apple, I knew it was all over," SPENCER replied, taking a mouthful and placing it back on the counter.

"You're probably not tolerating food because you're not eating regularly enough. And you're not being fed to your stomach, so I bet it's shrinking from lack of use," Dave said softly.

"I can still eat cake," SPENCER said with a cheeky grin. Dave laughed, wrapping his son in a hug.

"Why does that not surprise me?"

The afternoon had been loud. Aaron had organised for a few of SPENCER's friends to come over and help celebrate his birthday. Noah, Oliver, Gabby, and a couple of other kids from school had soon filled up their lounge room. They were all giggling and laughing as Gabby and SPENCER swapped stories from the hospital with the stories from school.

"SPENCER's doctor is really nice," Gabby said dreamily. "Like, if Doctor Edmonds was my oncologist, I think treatment would be a little happier. He's really tall and young and...," he trailed off, his cheeks turning red as he realised where it was going. The other kids laughed, SPENCER's cheeks also a shade of pink.

"Do you think he's attractive?" Aaron asked, turning to Dave. Dave laughed.

"Why, are you jealous? Scared that SPENCER and I are going to run away with Doctor Edmonds?" he teased, draping his arms around his neck.

"Never," Aaron replied, smiling down at his wife.

"That always means yes," Dave laughed, leaning in for a chaste kiss.

"Kirsty booted that Jeanette girl up the ass at training the other day," Oliver told the others.

"I heard that, Oli," Dave called warningly from the other room, making the kids dissolve into fits of giggles once more. "I think Spence and Derek are rubbing off on you"

"Hey Gabby, who's your doctor?" Alexia asked, going back to the previous topic.

"Doctor Swanson. He's cute...but he's no Edmonds," Gabby replied.

"You really like Doctor Edmonds," SPENCER stated. "I'll tell him"

"NO!" Gabby shrieked. As he turned a bright shade of red, all the other girls laughed.

"You luuuuurrrvv him," SPENCER continued. Gabby gave his a playful shove.

"Shut up SPENCER"

"Hey guys, who wants cake?" Dave called from the kitchen. The kids all leapt up immediately, Noah and Gabby each taking one of SPENCER's hands as they made their way into the kitchen.

They had sung 'Happy Birthday' and each enjoyed a slice of cake. SPENCER had cautiously picked at hiss, managing a few small bites. He had been keen not to have a repeat of that morning.

By late evening, all the kids had gone home, leaving the Hotchner-rossi family alone with their very happy and very content five year old.