(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)
Thank you for reviewing!
Keep reviewing please.
Okay, please ignore that review I posted on here. Yes, facepalm. I wrote that while drunk the other day, don't ask why I thought it was funny when I had several units of alcohol in me but when I saw it after I was like what the hell is wrong with me. I didn't even listen to myself because it is clearly not (that past) Sunday anymore. I will have to start closing FanFiction in my browsing next time I drink so I don't get tempted. (And I know some of you writers have received drunk reviews from me as well as drunk authors notes and trust me, I'm so embarrassed)
Anyway, enjoy!
Previously:
Aaron was shoved into the wall and Spencer screamed when a scalpel was jammed into Aaron's side. Aaron gasped but continued to fight Jeremy as he retracted the scalpel and aimed it again.
...
Spencer burst out into a dimly lit corridor. He glanced up and saw another door. He sobbed as he scrambled toward it, looking back the way he came to see someone stumble into the hall.
"Get the boy, now!"
A soft beeping pulled him from the depths of sleep.
His chest hurt. So did his wrists, they felt red raw, and his knees, thighs, and neck. But a deep agony made his eyebrows droop. It radiated in his side and vibrated up and across his body. He shifted in discomfort but that only sent sparks of pain throughout. He stilled and let out a soft huff, his teeth pulled tightly against one another as he did.
He wanted to open his eyes. The sounds around him were getting stronger, clearer and he wanted to just see where he was.
Finally, Aaron managed to drag his eyelids apart, grimacing when his lashes clung together.
He blinked, his eyelids disgruntedly cooperating with each blink. He looked down at himself.
There was a crisp white sheet covering him, a thin blue blanket crowding over it. Aaron pushed his chin to his chest as he took in the gown speckled in turquoise that he was wearing. He saw the wires coming out from under the sheets and the ones slithering into his veins.
Aaron cleared his throat with a painful rasp and attempted to sit up. Again, the pain was too great and he let the bed envelope him. His eyes strayed to the IV chord and the various bags of fluid hung from a stand to his left.
Aaron licked his lips gingerly and craned his neck over to the door.
"Hello?" His voice cracked unnaturally and Aaron's nose crinkled at the sound. Where was everyone?
He still couldn't remember what he was last doing.
"Jack?" he called in a raspy whisper. He shook his head with a frown and dropped his gaze to the sheets. His son wouldn't... or at least shouldn't be here. JJ, where was she?
"J-Jen?"
He waited for a moment. There was a quiet buzz outside his door of footsteps and people talking.
He was about to call again when the door opened. JJ walked in, a coffee cup between her hands. She didn't look as if she'd changed in days. Her hair was dragged back into a ponytail which also looked slept on.
"Jay..." Aaron mumbled weakly and the blonde threw her head up. Her tired face lightened and she broke into a smile.
"Aaron!"
She practically slammed her coffee on a nearby chair before sprinting over and snatching Aaron into a hug.
"Mmpfh." Aaron cringed at the onslaught of pain the action caused but he embraced his fiancé all the same.
JJ drew away when Aaron groaned but she kept her hand on Aaron's cheek.
"I... we were so worried," she whispered, leaning her head down to press against Aaron's.
"What... w-what happened?"
"They said you might be foggy... all the drugs, it's okay though, what's the last you remember?"
"I..." Aaron scowled lightly and his eyes fell away from JJ's.
JJ kept watching him, her eyebrows tilted sympathetically. "It's alright."
"No... there was... I... me and-"
Aaron was cut off by his own choked gasp.
He grabbed JJ's hand and his bore eyes into hers.
"Spencer?!"
"Grab him!"
Spencer felt himself slip into a state of terror as he sprinted down the hall.
"I got the other guy. I swear to god if the kid gets away-"
"He's not goin' anywhere!"
Spencer let out a terrified scream which just came out as a butcher squeal as he took a hard left down a new corridor.
If he didn't find a way out Aaron would have been hurt for nothing. They'd probably die here.
But Spencer was unintentionally slow. Having been strapped to a table for days, poked and prodded, his body was in no mood to run a 1500 metre.
He found a staircase and hiked his leg up the tall steps. There were booming growls behind him and he got on all fours to climb up the steps.
He was panting heavily when he made it to the top, but he didn't stop, he saw a window low to the ground and he threw himself at the windowsill. He whined as his petite fingers caught in the wood. He heaved his leg up and managed to roll onto the cool suface. It was dusty and when the dust stirred Spencer coughed weakly. He glanced up and scowled at how ordinary this upstairs looked compared to where he had been kept. The walls were a pale beige, a stark contrast to the white downstairs.
He got to his feet suddenly as the demonic cries ascended the stairs.
"Oh no," Spencer mumbled.
He turned shakily on the windowsill and looked outside. The ground was about four foot from the ground below (the flooring inside being raised, probably to accommodate the secret lab downstairs.) Not too far to jump but from the perspective of a terrified two-year-old, it was quite the drop. He pushed the window open easily leaving it wide as he contemplated jumping out.
Spencer heard a shout behind him and he spun back around.
There was Scott, his eyes changed from the cool calm they possessed before, into a bloodthirsty predictor. Spencer cried out in panic, stepping backward to separate the distance Scott was closing. His heel caught on the windowsill and he lost his footing in the dust. He reached out to grab something but there was nothing there.
He could feel a scream build up in his throat as he felt himself fall through the fast moving air which hadn't been there before. It took a second before he slammed hard into the ground. His head was thrown back into the solid ground with a sickening thunk and Spencer's vision went totally black.
He couldn't pull in a full breath either. He lay there rasping shortly into what he could only assume was outside air. He could hear Scott yelling. Something about outside.
Spencer's vision cleared slightly as he convulsed for breath. His head felt like a drum being slammed over and over. Black spots encased much of his line of sight but he could see stars above him now, not imagined ones either.
He wanted to go home. He wanted his mommy and daddy, and Jack, and Henry, he wanted goodnight kisses and a story before bed. He wanted someone to look down at him, instead of these stars, and plant a soft kiss on his head before tucking him in and shutting the door, leaving the nightlight on as they went.
"M-mommy," he whispered, a tear sliding down his cheek.
The voices were getting nearer again and Spencer realised slowly that he was meant to be doing something.
Home. He had to get home. He had to help his daddy. He was hurt.
Spencer sat up slowly and felt his stomach lurch. His vision blanched suddenly as he got up on his hands and knees.
He could hear something as he began to cry into the dirt. A window being pulled up perhaps.
He crawled through the dust and grass, his knees dragging as he gasped for air. He could see a curb up ahead and a normal road after that. There were houses. Normal houses.
"H-help!" Spencer screamed, digging his fingers into the ground as he squinted at the half-lit houses. "P-p-peas!"
He saw shadows moving in a house close by and he dragged himself along the ground.
"O-out hewe!"
He heard a door slam and he sobbed frantically, making as much noise as he could. His head hurt so bad. He wanted to curl up and sleep it off but he had to do something.
There were more voices and Spencer heard a second door creak and slam. He saw people as his vision started to resurrect itself, coming out of the houses.
"P-peas!"
"Is that a child!? Mary, stay here, Mary, I'll go get it, stay there."
Spencer saw a figure coming toward him and he reached his arms up pitifully as a crash echoed behind him.
"Little shit!"
"We got him!"
"Help! HELP!" Spencer shrieked as dusty footsteps echoed behind. He clambered forward to the new figure who Spencer could see much more clearly now.
"The hell...?"
The footsteps behind Spencer came to a halt when Spencer was scooped up by the man from the house. "What are you doing?"
Spencer sobbed and the man from the house placed a gentle hand on his face and turned it into his chest.
He was a burley man with a receding line of dark brown hair. In the darkness Spencer could barely make out his face but he saw dark blue in his eyes for a moment and wrinkles at the corners of his mouth and eyes. Wrinkles caused by happy expressions. Spencer let himself be cushioned by the man as his head throbbed cruelly.
Scott and Jeremy stood still, framed by their house behind. The secret lab was just that to this town: a secret.
"Give us the child please," Scott said calmly, his voice shaking slightly from underlying anger. The man stepped back.
"The hell you doing? Chasing a baby? Look at him, he's covered in dirt!"
"Everythin' alright there, Walter!"
The man turned back to his house where his neighbor, his wife, and Mary were stood. "Call the police, Dom, these folks were bad news after all. They got a kid!"
Scott panicked. "He's ours. He doesn't want a bath is all, he got out, didn't you bud?"
"Doesn't look like he's ready for a bath?"
"He's dirty, hence the bath."
The man scoffed lightly and stepped back, rubbing Spencer's head which caused him to grown.
Spencer looked up at the kind man with his wide, wet eyes. "M-my daddy's inside... d-dey huwt him... help, peas," he whispered.
"Mary!" Walter (as the man seemed to be named,) called back to his wife who was nearly at his side. "Is Clive there?"
"He sure is, Hon, and Redge is here too!"
"Tell 'em to come over here. They need to get inside. You come take the baby."
"There's no need-"
"You shut your mouth. Child predators like you are rot in prison."
Spencer closed his eyes, blocking out the yelling. He was soon passed to another set of warm, comforting arms and he snuggled down against this woman's cushiony breasts.
"You poor, babe, let's get you inside, wait for the paramedics to come. Look at you, your filthy, honey."
"M-my Daddy... I-inside," Spencer whimpered, his eyes drooped but he forced them open.
"We'll find him, hon, do you have ouchies?"
Spencer blubbed a little on his words but he managed to touch his head.
"Poor kitten, banged your head?"
"Mmmmhm."
"Let's get you some ice."
"Where's Spencer!?" Aaron yelled as JJ attempted to hush him.
"He's alright, just calm down. I can't talk to you like this."
"T-they were chasing him. They threatened to kill him, Jay, where is he!? And Jack! Henry: they're safe right? They didn't get them too?!"
JJ ran a hand across Aaron's scalp, gathering his hair and pushing it off his face.
"They didn't get them or Spencer. The boys are at Haley's. Spencer's here; he's safe. Penelope's with him right now. Shhh."
JJ clutched her fiancé as he broke down against her, his fingers tight on her arm as he sobbed in relief.
JJ pressed her lips to his cheek and whispered soothingly.
"Jack and Henry are making cards, Jack's been out of his mind worrying about you two. He's going to go crazy when he sees you. And Spencer's been talking about you non-stop," she said, a smile caressing the corners of her mouth. "In fact, he's no idea what he's talking about, he was talking about dinosaurs when I left to see you; Pen was trying to get him to draw."
Aaron raised his head and laughed, a sob mixing with his amusement. "Dinosaurs?"
"Yea... he's a bit out of it. He had a few stitches in the back of his head. He got a concussion so he had to stay overnight but he's going to be fine."
Aaron nodded, his lips pressing together tightly as he swallowed.
"I'll go get him, okay?"
"Yes!... O-Okay."
Spencer walked unsteadily in, holding JJ's hand as he did. Penelope was at the door and she smiled at Aaron before heading back out.
Spencer was in a pair of Jack's old button-up pyjamas, with little bears hugging the moon over the cream material.
He had a bandage around his head, his curls tufting out around the white fabric. His eyes were unfocused when he looked up and he blinked a few times.
He grinned happily at the sight of Aaron awake and he scrambled for purchase on the bed.
"Daddy!" he cried, throwing a flailing leg at the bed weakly, lucky to have JJ close by to catch his little butt and heave him up.
"Hold on, Spence, I know you're excited but you can't overexert yourself, or your father."
Spencer grinned softly as JJ gave him a boost and he quickly got tangled in the sheets before collapsing by Aaron's good side.
"I got help!" Spencer announced with a bright smile, pressing his cheek into Aaron's hand as he gazed up.
"You did, buddy. You did so good."
"Awe you otay?" Spencer glanced up over at Aaron's other side and he bit his lip. Aaron held his head up gently so he didn't knock it.
"I'm good. Thanks to you, if you hadn't gotten out I would be a goner!"
"Weally?"
JJ smiled and patted Aaron's arm. "You're a hero, sweetie."
They sat together for a while just letting Spencer talk himself into sleep.
Eventually, Spencer was snuggled into Aaron's good side, his lips moving in sleep. Aaron smiled at him before turning to JJ.
"He seems much more relaxed. He called me his dad without thinking about it."
JJ licked her bottom lip before replying. "When I first came in he yelled 'mommy' and he's been going on and on to the nurses about his mommy, daddy, and his big brothers."
"You think... he's pretending?" Aaron asked, swiping a finger through a particularly tight curl amongst Spencer's hair. JJ shook her head, resting her chin in her palm.
"No. It could be his head injury."
"Or?"
"Or what?"
"Could he be... I don't know, regressing somehow? We don't know how the formula worked, it could cause his memories to deteriorate."
"He'd hate that," JJ muttered. She stood up and sighed. "Maybe..."
"Is it such a bad thing?" Aaron said, his voice taking on a higher key. JJ turned sharply toward him but her face softened when she saw the look in Aaron's eyes: the desire.
"Not for us... I-it'd be like... like having a son... together, a brother for the boys."
"He technically is anyway."
"Yes, but he's still Spencer, our coworker. Who took me on that one date-"
"That was years ago and kids can have crushes."
"It's selfish, Aaron," JJ blurted finally. Aaron stared back at her, his hand hovering over Spencer's hair where he'd been stroking. "Spencer would want to keep his degrees, work with us."
"He'd also want a family," Aaron said.
"More than his old life?"
"Possibly."
JJ walked close and looked down at the two-year-old pressed to Aaron's side. She couldn't help but smile. "Even if he did start to regress... we still have to look for the cure."
Aaron nodded. "Of course."
"But in the meantime, well, he's our little guy."
Perhaps a sneak peek into next chapters ;) I dunno :D ;)
Thanks for reading. Sorry, it's taken so long. I've been struggling with some things lately and it's hard enough to update one story during exam season.
Please review.
!IMPORTANT!
I need some prompts from you guys. It might be the only time I do this. So this story will finish at 100 chapters (nice round number) and I thought it would be cool for you guys to have a say in what happens between now and the finale (nothing majorly plot twisting of course) cute little prompts for each chapter would be awesome and I'll credit your ideas when I pick them.
For example, say someone puts 'can the team go to the park, and Henry gets hit by older kid, Jack stands up to them... and Spencer gets an ice cream' something simple like that.
Leave a review with a prompt you'd like to see in this story (again, nothing that'll change the storyline majorly) and I'll try and write it.
Thanks again.
See you soon