Notes:

So much cuteness, tissues are advised

"Do you know how to ride?" The first words Melina said to Spencer over dinner a few days later, was the last question he would have expected.

"I, yeah, actually I do." Spencer answered with a tentative smile as Olivia's hand squeezed his under the kitchen table.

"Do you have your own horse?"

"No, I… I don't think it'd fit in my apartment without my landlady finding out."

"Maybe a Shetland? A pony wouldn't be so big, are there stairs?"

"Yeah, but we'd have to make it wear diapers and rubber shoes." Spencer answered, scratching his chin as if thinking about it very seriously.

Melina dissolved into giggles when he plugged his nose and wiggled his eyebrows as though something smelled bad. The first hurdle thus passed, the atmosphere around the table lightened and Spencer joined in her laughter.

"Careful, I don't need either of you snorting peas into my soup." Olivia teased eliciting another round of giggles. "Why does Spencer need a horse, Mel?"

Mel shrugged and said nonchalantly, "knights are supposed to have horses." She paused then, her spoon halfway to her mouth. "And armor, do you have armor?"

"Does a bullet proof vest count?" Spencer asked, adding quizzically, "do I look like a knight?"

Olivia froze as Mel dashed from the table suddenly to her room, and worried, said, "I don't know…" But Melina returned before she could finish voicing her concern.

"You do, you look just like Sir Pensive in my story books. See!" Melina presented a pair of books to him. "See?"

The carefully hand painted book covers displayed an image of a knight riding a black horse with a gleaming star on his breast plate. A dragon in the background cowered at his raised sword. There was a strong resemblance in the face of the knight, too strong to be accidental and Spencer looked at Olivia to find her blushing and inspecting the wood grain of the tabletop.

"That- that does look a lot like me, doesn't it." He said with a grin. "Does the knight slay the dreadful dragon?"

"No..." Melina looked momentarily affronted and then pointed at the small winged figure. "He's not dreadful! Just scared. The villagers wanted Sir Pensive to slay him, but he discovered that the dragon was only eating their sheep because he didn't have a mama or papa dragon to teach him how to hunt."

"What happened after that?"

Olivia raised a hand, "finish eating first Meli, then you can tell Spencer the rest of the story, ok?"

Melina sighed and set the books down a little harder than necessary, slumping into her seat. "Fine."

"So, the dragon... Well, Sir Pensive taught him how to find deer and other animals to hunt, and how to fish in the ocean, and not to eat them all because then he'd run out of food, and besides he's a reptile, he doesn't have to eat every day, he'd just make himself sick, and he needs to sleep afterwards for days and days and days so Sir Pensive helped him to find a cave high up in the mountain where he can be safe while he's sleeping. Cuz Sir Pensive is a knight, and his job is helping people and stopping the bad guys. Just like you do for the F.B.Y." She paused and Spencer wasn't able to think up an adequate response before she asked another question, "why don't you have a horse?"

"Well, most of the time we use the jet to get around and I don't think horses would like flying very much."

"They might get motion-sick."

"Exactly. And cars work pretty well, for what we need anyway."

"I'm getting a horse. Not until I'm bigger, but mum says we can get a new filly for me to train."

"That's exciting! What kind of horse do you want?" Spencer asked, smiling past her to where Liv was putting the food away.

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" Spencer asked, nonplussed.

"Cuz...well, horses are expensive and mum doesn't have a lot of money and you want to marry her and then it would be your money too, and you don't look like you're very rich."

"Ah, I see. Well, I'm not particularly wealthy, and yes, your mum and I will have to discuss financial things once we're married, but if we can afford it and your mum says you're old enough, then I don't see why not…" Spencer said carefully. "Are you okay with that? Me marrying your mum?"

Melina shrugged her shoulders and scrunched up her mouth.

"It's okay if you don't know yet, sometimes it takes a while to get used to the idea of things."

"When are you going to get married?"

Liv approached them, smiling gently. "We haven't set a date yet, we wanted to make sure you were okay with it first."

"Would I have to call you Dad?"

Spencer shook his head gently, "not- not unless you wanted to."

"I don't know yet."

"I know its a new idea, me getting married, but do you think you could let me know when you've thought about it a bit more? Maybe in a week or two?" Olivia asked, petted Melina's dark head affectionately, "thank you, baby. Why don't you go play and Spencer and I will come outside once we've finished with the dishes, okay?"

"Okay." Mel brightened immediately and then a frown scrunched her nose and she turned to Spencer, "you don't hate cats, do you?"

"No, I don't hate cats... But, I haven't met a lot of cats before and I don't think I'd like a mean cat very much."

"Missy isn't mean at all, she's very friendly, you'll see!"

And Spencer did see.

Melina presented the grey tabby to him half an hour later, holding the cat in her arms like a baby and exclaiming that Missy's belly was really soft and she wouldn't even scratch him, insisting that he test her theory and grinning toothily at him as the cat purred and blinked. Spencer couldn't help but return her wide smile, letting her deposit the cat in his arms and stroking the long grey back as Melina watched him carefully. Apparently, he passed whatever test she had set and she ran back to the barn, returning with a kitten and patting the grass for him to sit. He folded his legs under him as she indicated, the action nearly knocking him off balance when the cat in his arms squirmed and jumped free.

"This is Pattycakes, but you can just say Pattie for short." Melina held out a fluffy kitten that looked like a carbon copy of her mother except for the short stubby upright tail and compressed proportions of a baby. Missy rubbed herself against Spencer's knee, purring again.

Spencer held his hands out and the kitten was plopped into his grasp, wriggling herself upright and peering around with deep blue eyes.

"Do you know why kittens are all born with blue eyes?" Spencer asked. Melina shook her head, eyes wide and curious. "Well, eye color is determined by melanocytes, which are a kind of special skin cells that produce melanin, and in little kittens and babies their skin cells aren't producing melanin yet, so their eyes look blue until they get older."

"Mel-a-nen? That's kind of like my name. Does that mean all my kitties won't have blue eyes forever?"

"Most likely not," Spencer said, sensing her disappointment, "blue eyes in cats aren't very common and Missy has those wonderful green eyes, so the kittens might have orange, yellow or green eyes depending on the father's genetics."

"They don't have a dad." Mel said shortly, crossing her arms. "Mum said it was a stray boy cat that visited that made her have babies."

"Cats don't have the same kind of families as people, but the kittens will still carry the genetic material of the stray and their mum."

"Is that why there's other colors too? Cuz Missy isn't orange and there is two kittens that are- does that mean the boy cat was orange?"

"Maybe... do you think I could see all the kittens?"

Explaining genetics and feline mating habits to a six year old was not in Spencer's plans for the day and he used the request as a distraction while he worked out how to tell her the truth without saying too much.

There were three kittens in the makeshift basket of Melina's shirt when she returned and all were gently spilled into Spencer's lap.

"The grey one with white is pinto, mum named him that." She shrugged, unconvinced. "And then the creamsicle colored one is called peach and I was going to call the orange one Poppy, but mum says it's a boy so I don't know anymore."

"Hmm…" Spencer lifted up the fluffy round-bellied kitten, scratching gently between the short fluffy ears and smiling as the kitten closed its eyes. "How about fluffy?"

"I don't think so, cuz he's not always gonna be a baby... maybe Sparky?"

"Sparky, hm, are you a sparky little guy?" Spencer looked the little cat over and it sneezed.

"I don't think he likes that name." Melina giggled. "Oh, I know! How about Gregory? That's the name of the dragon from my book!"

"Gregory, what do you think of Gregory?" Spencer asked the kitten, smiling as the blue eyes blinked slow and he started to purr. "Gregory it is, that's a great name Melina!"

Mel looked at him from around the edge of her long hair, suddenly shy at the open praise. She plopped down beside Spencer, taking Pattie and Painter into her lap and petting them. They sat silently for some time, except for giggles and purring and the occasional chirp from Missy who had perched herself on Spencer's shoulder and was looking over her brood with regal pride.

"Do you think the kitties are sad about not having a dad?" Melina said in the barest whisper, not lifting her head.

"I don't think so… Cats are really good at being solitary, but they do form colonies as well, and the cats in the colony think of all the kittens as their own, so they all pitch in to feed and babysit and groom them."

"Missy doesn't have any other cats to help her though." Melina sounded upset now, like she was fighting back tears.

"She has you. And you help and give her food, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess so..." Melina giggled wetly, rubbing her face before looking up at him, "does that mean we're babysitting right now?"

"Kitten-sitting technically, but yeah, I guess we are." Spencer smiled back, concerned when Melina's mouth suddenly screwed itself into a badly hidden frown. "What's wrong?"

"I… nothing."

He waited, saying nothing, hoping she'd feel free enough to tell him what was bothering her.

"Sometimes…" Melina mumbled, tucking her chin to her chest. "I don't have a dad…" Her voice trailed away and she petted the grey kitten slowly before sniffing and saying in a quivering voice, "but I'm not a kitten!"

"Can I tell you something?" Spencer asked softly, waiting for her nod before going on, "I don't have a dad either, well, I sort of did, but he left when I was about your age."

"Why?" There were tears in her voice and she sniffed again.

Spencer retrieved a clean tissue from his pocket and handed it to her without fanfare. "He wasn't strong enough to stay. I think he was overwhelmed and instead of getting help, he ran away from his problems."

"That's stupid." Mel said stonily, and her small fingers reached across the gap between them and patted his knee consolingly.

"Yeah, it is a bit stupid…" Spencer said and swallowed heavily. "You know, it took me a long time to figure out that it wasn't my fault that he did that… I'm not a kitten either."

Mel stilled but she maintained the contact and Spencer tentatively reached for her hand, smiling sadly as the little fingers hesitated and then squeezed his tightly.

"I used to be sad, but I've found other people who care about me like family, one of my friends, Rossi, is kind of like a father figure in my life now. He gives me advice and notices when I need help."

"You got 'nother dad? Cuz your first one was dumb… Does everyone get nother one?"

"I don't know."

"Some people just don't wanna be dads…" Mel said solemnly. "Do you?"

Spencer nodded sincerely. "Yes, I want to be a dad. Very much."

Melina stopped skirting around Spencer as much as she had before, but there was still an uncertainty in her that presented itself in the problem of how to address him. "You" and "Hey, you," and "not you, mum, you!" could only take her so far in drawing his notice.

The early shyness had evaporated and she laughed at his long winded explanations of her many questions, but despite showing on her face that she wasn't taking in half of what he said, she glowed at every proof of his full attention. Still, she refused to address him by any name at all, and Spencer and Liv privately agreed to let her find her own way with it.

Two and a half weeks later Melina had made up her mind, and though she wasn't quite sure how it would work exactly, she had several ideas she was determined to try out. Just like all those scientific tests he was always talking about.

Teeth brushed, and jammies on, Olivia was braiding her still slightly damp hair for bed when Melina looked determinedly at Spencer and asked, "can you tuck me in this time?"

Spencer looked surprised, sharing a quick glance with Olivia before agreeing, "yeah, sure."

She nodded importantly and jumped from her seat the moment the braids were secured, practically running to her room and throwing herself into her bed, leaving the covers folded back and wriggling expectantly.

Spencer knelt at her bedside and pulled the blanket up to her chin, carefully 'tucking' it in around her shoulders the way he'd seen Olivia do on previous nights.

"How's that?"

"Good," Mel said.

"Is there a reason you wanted me to tuck you in tonight?"

"Sorta… I… I think you should… I think I want you to marry mum now."

"Yeah?"

"She's happy... and you're not a cat."

He grinned widely. "No, I'm not a cat. And I'm very happy to hear that you think so."

"But not tomorrow, cuz I have school and I don't got a special dress yet."

"Definitely not tomorrow, I think your mum would also like to have a dress, and I need to go ring shopping."

"I could help! But not tomorrow."

"How about Saturday morning? For shopping, not the wedding."

"Can we get ice cream after?"

"Yeah! That sounds like fun, but right now you need to sleep, so how about we plan to plan for our shopping trip tomorrow after school?"

"Okay." Melina acquiesced, wriggling back into the covers and blinking sleepily as he repositioned the blanket around her shoulders.

"Alright, you're all tucked in, I'm not forgetting anything am I?"

Mel looked away and shrugged, a blush rising to the top half of her face even as she hid the rest under the covers.

"It's okay, you can tell me." Spencer said, invitingly.

"It's dumb."

"I won't laugh."

She looked at him for a long moment and then looked away again before murmuring, "mum always gives me a goodnight kiss." She tapped at her forehead and turned away, her ears turning pink as well.

He bent to plant a soft kiss on her hair and whispered, "goodnight sweetheart, I love you," as he rose to his feet and walked away, barely catching the soft voice answering him.

"G'night, da."

Da. Dad, Pa, Pop, Poppa.

Every variation of dad that Melina had ever heard of were sprinkled through her speech in the following days. Each time Spencer froze in place for a moment and offered her a tentative and hopeful grin in return, but neither addressed it directly. And then, Saturday came.

"Can I help you find something?" The well dressed woman approached Spencer and Melina at the front of the store, seeing their matching expressions of wide-eyed uncertainty.

"We're, uh, we're looking for a dress." Spencer said.

"A special one." Melina added quietly, holding Spencer's hand.

"A special dress, is there an occasion?" The woman asked, looking to Spencer when Melina hid her face against his leg.

"A wedding." Spencer said more confidently, remembering Melina's rambling from the day before, "and we need one that twirls."

"And pockets," a whisper from Melina added.

"A twirl-y dress with pockets, I think we can find something for you, is there a color or hem length preference?"

"What do you think, Mel? Still want purple?" Spencer asked, smiling when Melina nodded, still partly hiding behind him. "Purple it is."

"Perfect, follow me." The saleswoman led them to a section of blue, purple and magenta in every possible shade from pastel to neon. "Why don't you two have a look around and select a few styles and colors you like and we can narrow it down from there."

"That'd be great, thank you."

After an hour of inspecting dresses, swooshing the skirts and checking for pockets, Melina had selected three to try on. The swish and crinkle of the fabric didn't obscure the voice of the sales woman and Spencer outside the change room.

"You have a beautiful daughter."

Melina held her breath to hear the response.

"I completely agree."

She opened the door slowly and stepped out, swishing as she walked, unable to meet either of the adult's eyes.

"Why don't you step up on the platform in front of the mirror dear? There you go," the woman showed her to the three paneled mirror and then smiled at the reflection. "Gosh, that is a lovely color on you."

Melina blushed and tilted her head, trying to hide a smile and failing.

"What about you, daddy, what do you think?" The woman asked, straightening out the sleeve.

Spencer met Melina's gaze in the mirror and said with a warm smile, "beautiful, my little girl is absolutely beautiful."

Something deep inside melted as Melina saw the tears welling up in his eyes and she threw herself into his arms sniffling. "-Love you daddy." muffled words pressed against his shoulder.

"I love you too sweetie." He murmured into her hair, holding her tight until her hands loosened around his neck. "How about I pay for this beautiful dress, and then we go for ice cream?"

"I want the choco one Daddy."

"Mum is gonna be so excited, isn't she, Daddy?"

"Can you come with me to feed the kitties, daddy?"

"Daddy tells the best stories."

"Mum, I think Daddy needs a horse more than me, cuz I can just ride on Glory, but he doesn't have one."

No opportunity to exercise the new word was missed and she smiled nearly as widely as Spencer did each time.

There were still difficulties to face, adjustments to make, firsts to experience together as a family, but every day was an opportunity to practice at it, and every failure was met with grace and a promise to try again tomorrow. And of course, there was a wedding coming.

Spencer and Olivia had been slow and modest in their plans, wanting Melina to be really comfortable with the idea of Spencer being part of the family before they signed the papers and he moved in, giving her time to get used to him being around before they made everything so permanently different. But now she was fully on board and growing rather impatient with the two adults in her life. Three months was an inconceivably long time to wait, and besides, Spencer had another month and a half before he could go back to work, and she wanted to spend the summer holidays with him at home.

"I know you're excited baby, but these things take time to plan, catering, venues, they all book months ahead and early summer is a really busy time for them." Olivia said soothingly.

Mel huffed and crossed her arms, with her lower lip extended to show just how unsatisfied she was with the world of adults.

"I have an idea…" Spencer said slowly, a smirk curling up the corners of his mouth. "If you don't mind getting married in the same place as Will and JJ…" He looked at Olivia questioning.

"I… I hadn't even thought of that, do you think Dave would mind?"

"I actually think he might be offended if we don't ask."

"Okay, yeah, that'd, that'd be perfect." Olivia said, blushing and biting her lip even as Melina looked from one to the other.

Rossi was elated, and it cost Spencer some little effort to rein in the rapidly expanding plans. "Its a short list… Liv, well… She doesn't have many people to invite."

"No family?" Rossi asked, at once more subdued. Reid shook his head no. "Just tell me how many invites she wants and I'll take care of the rest, okay?"

"Thank you, Rossi." Reid sighed, pressure he hadn't known was on his shoulders suddenly lifting. "Thank you... Liv and I would have just eloped, but Mel wants a wedding and flowers and cake and..."

"Smart girl." Rossi said approvingly, "How about next Sunday? Do Olivia and Mel need dresses?"

"They are all set. I was planning to rent a suit, but-"

"Ah-ah, no rentals! I'll take you to my tailor tomorrow, do this thing properly."

"I appreciate it Rossi, but I can't aff-"

"It's on me, and please, don't mention it." Rossi said, raising a hand to quell any objections. "You're family, Spencer, and its not everyday I get to throw a party for someone who's as close as a son to me." He grasped Reid's shoulder and his voice wavered as he said, "I am so proud of you, son. You're a good man, and Olivia is everything I could have wished for you…" tears formed in his eyes but he shook them away and said in a brighter tone. "So, when can I meet my new granddaughter?"

Notes:

I hope this all made sense, and that you'll forgive me if the quality has dropped too far. Please let me know if I've made mistakes in this chapter and I can't wait to hear from you in the comments.
Epilogue is coming and then its really, truly finished!