~SPENCER POV~

"How do you know my son, if you don't mind me asking?" He asked and I immediately pulled her to me.

I looked into his eyes and could hear the anger in my voice as I said "It doesn't concern you. Not anymore, at least."

"Spencer." She said and lightly put the hand that she had at her side on my chest. Her golden eyes looked up at me and I could see that she saw the meaning in my eyes. "We're supposed to meet with Derek and the rest of the team in about five minutes."

I would have to thank her later for lying despite the discomfort that both of us had for it. I didn't look in my father's direction as we made our way back towards the hotel. As soon as we were out of ear shot, she stopped walking and put a hand on my cheek.

"Baby, talk to me." she said, worry clear in her eyes and I leaned down to peck her lips as an attempt to ease this.

I squeezed her hand gently before pulling her along. "I just don't want anything to do with him. I think we've had enough horrible people in our lives for a while. We already have to go to court because of your mom's abandonment. Let's take it one issue at a time."

"Do I still get to meet your mom?" She asked and I laughed at her abrupt change of subject. It was her way of agreeing with me for the moment so we wouldn't argue. I knew she would have questions later but for now, it was forgotten.

I smiled before saying "You're looking forward to it now, so I have no choice."

She laughed and we made our way back to the hotel. I knew Garcia and JJ were going to be a little upset about the events of the evening and the wasted shopping trip but I had the feeling that Bexley was more than likely in store for another one.

When we reached the hotel, she smiled at the sight of the team. I suddenly felt exhausted due to the way my emotions had gone everywhere when I saw my father. I looked at her and saw that she was wide awake.

"Would you be mad if I turned in early?" I asked and she shook her head.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and said "It's been a long day. Go get some sleep and we'll try again tomorrow."

I pecked her lips before making my way to our room. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her walking towards Hotch. I saw a concerned look cross his features before they walked away from the rest of the team.

That couldn't be a good sign.

~BEXLEY POV~

"We saw Spencer's dad tonight and I just wanted to be sure that we're doing the right thing by avoiding him. I know the damage that comes with being abandoned by a parent and left in an unstable household, but I feel like we're making a bad call. As rare as it is, people can change." I vented my worries to Aaron as if I'd known him for years and was surprised that out of all of the team, I was looking to him for advice. He was the one who seemed to know Spencer's fatherly issues more than the rest of them though.

He crossed his arms before giving me an apologetic look. "The reason William left his wife and son is very complicated and I know he regrets it every day. You're right in the fact that he has changed and what Spencer doesn't understand is that if he doesn't try to fix things now, he'll regret it later. When a loved one dies, we look back on the things we didn't do and regret them but what keeps us moving forward is the experiences we did have. Reid won't have that if he doesn't try to fix things between him and his father."

"I understand that but I am not going to make him fix things. If anything, it looks like the best thing to do for him is to keep him away from him." I ran a hand through my hair before pressing my hand against my head.

Hotch took a breath before asking "Have you ever noticed a scar along Reid's neck?"

I looked up and raised an eyebrow at him. "What about it?"

"May 2014 we were on a case in Texas involving a rogue cop and prostitutes being whipped and left as public examples after they were murdered." He said calmly and I felt my stomach twist at the thought of it. "He was shot protecting one of our agents and the bullet went into his neck. He almost died on us and the doctors still say it's a miracle he survived. My point is that this job is dangerous and they are both getting older."

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at the floor before saying "You think because of the near death experience, Spencer should have opened his eyes and forgiven his father."

"No." Aaron said and I looked up at him, confusion written across my features. "I'm saying that he owes it to himself to make sure that when his father dies, he doesn't have the regret of not trying to reconnect with him."

I nodded and decided that this was a fair trade. "Thank you, Aaron. Jack and this team are very lucky to have you."

"I'm here for you too, Bexley." He said and I smiled before putting a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezing.

"Thank you." He smiled and I dropped my hand from his shoulder. "I guess that means I'm going to go talk to Spence. Wish me luck?"

He laughed before saying "If anyone can get through to him, it's you. You don't need luck."

I walked past the rest of the team and headed up the stairs to our hotel room. When I unlocked the door and walked in, I saw that Spencer was fast asleep with a book lying across his chest. I gently closed the door and locked before walking over to him. I picked the book up and placed it on the nightstand so it would be within arm's reach if he wanted it in the morning.

I changed out of my dress and into my pajamas before crawling into bed next to him. I laid down on the bed and felt him turn over, wrapping his arms around me. He buried his face in my hair and I could hear that he was still sleeping. It made me smile knowing that he wanted to be close to me even when he was sleeping.

I hoped he would still want me this close when I asked him to mend the relationship with father. Abandonment wasn't an easy thing to get over but the thought of him regretting not fixing things with his father and living with that was a misery I would try to help him avoid. I wouldn't force him to fix things but I would stand by him, regardless of what he chose.

I fell asleep soon after that and just enjoyed the feeling of his arms wrapped around me through the night.

***I wanted to give a big thank you to ahowell1993 for the review on the last chapter. I hope everyone is still enjoying the story so R&R and let me know what you think. Thank you for reading!