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"Hey, it's about time to go." Spencer told Andrew. The teen nodded silently.
"Goodbye, Ms. Reid. It's great to see you." He said politely to Spencer's mother.
She wrapped arms around him. "You, too. And again, I'm so sorry."
Andrew just smiled lightly and nodded. Spencer sighed. Andrew had been nodding a lot lately. It worried him.
"I'll meet you in the hall." Spencer told Andrew, who…nodded and left the room without a word. "We've got to get him to the Center."
"Poor boy…" Spencer's mom whispered. "Are you sure you want to do this Spencer? Can you take care of a young boy?" She inquired, worried.
"Yes, mother. I've taken care of him this long. I am not putting him in the system at a time like this. An adolescent abandoned by both parents is fragile. I'm going to give him the choice, but I want him to stay with me." Spencer stated, completely confident.
His mother placed a weak hand on his cheek. "As long as you're sure Spencer."
"I am." His mother nodded. "I've got to go, but I'll call you when he decides."
Spencer met Andrew in the hall. They signed out of his mother's clinic and made their way to the car. Spencer took off towards the Las Vegas Adoption Center. He watched Andrew through the rearview mirror. The young boy looked pale and just empty. It had been a difficult couple of days. The two had taken a trip to Vegas the day after the getting the news. Yesterday, there had been a small, private burial with just Andrew, Spencer and a few close people from Andrew's past. It was rough, but Spencer tried his best to help Andrew cope. Today, they took a trip to see Spencer's mother and were now headed off to figure out what was going to happen to Andrew. Andrew had been mostly mute throughout the entire trip and preferred to only speak when necessary. Spencer was all right with that, he understood that it could take Andrew some time to come around. Andrew assumed he was going to be put into the foster care, despite Bella's constant promises that he would be okay. The way he said goodbye to her and the team told Spencer that Andrew thought he wasn't returning to Virginia. Spencer had decided to offer to adopt Andrew, he hadn't asked him yet. He was trying to wait for the right time. He felt bad not telling Andrew yet, but Spencer wasn't sure how to tell him. He was running out of time now though, so he'd just have to tell him at the Center.
They arrived and Spencer led Andrew to the building. They walked up to the front desk. After Spencer talked with the lady behind the desk for a while, she picked up the phone and whispered into it. Then, she gestured for Andrew and Spencer to head around to the back area, where they met a baby-faced brunette whose name was apparently "Greta".
She ushered them into a small room. "Hello, Andrew. ."
"Spencer." He corrected, blushing. Greta nodded and turned to Andrew.
"First off, I'm terribly sorry for your loss." Andrew just nodded. "Let's discuss options. With your situation, you can go into the foster care system, we have a family who is interested. They're very nice and have some other kids your age. We could have your things shipped and have you settled there in no time. But I also understand Spencer over here would like you to consider allowing him to adopt you. Typically, we pick which ever option is best for the child, but you're older, so we'll let you decide."
Andrew looked up. "What? Spence? You…" He whispered, shocked.
Spencer smiled awkwardly. That wasn't how he wanted to let tell him.
Greta gaped. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was under the impression Andrew knew…"
Spencer shook his head. "I hadn't found a good time…"
Greta stood. "I'll give you two a minute then. Again, I apologize." She said, slipping out the door.
"You want to adopt me?" Andrew asked.
Spencer looked down. "Well, I thought I'd offer, because really I enjoy having you around. You're a great kid and um, you living with me had been cool. I was trying to find the right time to ask, but on the plane just, uh, didn't seem right and I never really found the right time after that…I hope you consider it, though. I like having you around and um, I think I already said that…but…um…"
Andrew cut him off. "Spence."
"Yes?"
Andrew smiled softly for the first time in days. "I'd…um, really like that, too."
"You would?" Spencer asked, excitedly. Andrew nodded. "Then, congrats…you're now a 'Reid'."
Andrew laughed, seeing the giddy grin occupying his new guardian's face. "I'm proud."
Spencer jumped up and let Greta back in, sharing the news and preparing to sign as many papers as needed.
-:-
Derek walked around his house aimlessly, not sure what to do with himself. He hadn't realized how much time taking care of a teenager took, until he had the time back. Finally, he whipped out his cell phone and dialed the number of the least-boring person he knew.
"Hello, my love." Penelope Garcia answered cheerily. "What can I do for you today?"
"Anything." Derek replied simply. "I'm desperately alone and I'm looking for a tech-honey to provide me with her lovely company. Know anyone?"
"Hmmm…" Penelope teased. "I may have just what you need. Meet at 'It's a Grind' in ten? Then we can go for a walk."
"See you there, baby girl." Derek confirmed, hanging up and grabbing his coat.
-:-
Exactly ten minutes later, Penelope walked into her and Derek's favorite coffee shop. She easily spotted Derek, as he was walking towards her, two coffees in tow. He handed her one.
"Half-caf, extra shot, venti, two pump, non-fat, hold the whip, caramel macchiato for the lady." He announced proudly, holding it out for her.
Garcia took it and smiled. "Oh, you know me so well."
"You know it, sweetheart." He replied, holding open the door for her.
"Hey," Garcia began, as they walked down the street. "Speaking of sweethearts, where is your sweet little niece? Something tells me you couldn't be 'desperately alone' with that one around. With a shattered knee-cap and ability to out-charm you, I could imagine you'd be very busy."
"Oh, she's determined to go on with life as if she never fell. She pretends like she perfectly fine, running around like her usual self. She's with Jayje for the day. They're bonding and waiting for Reid to get home." He explained.
Penelope laughed. "Pretending like there's no injury? Sounds like Prentiss. And when are my two genius boys getting home?"
"Well, Reid is for sure coming home at five tonight, but we're not sure if Andrew will be coming back, remember? I'm not even sure if Reid's asked yet…He's supposed to call and let us know when he does."
"Do you really think Andrew would say no…?" Penelope asked, slightly worried.
"Well, no, but Bella thinks otherwise…she's beside herself with worry."
Penelope sighed. "I can imagine…her best friend. I don't know what I'd do without mine." She said, nudging Morgan lightly.
"Well, fortunately for you, sweet pea, you'll never have to find out." Morgan replied, throwing an arm around her shoulders and kissing her forehead.
-:-
Hours later, JJ and Bella sat on JJ's couch, absorbed in 'The Notebook', which was playing on the T.V. In the middle of a big Leonardo scene, JJ's phone rang.
Bella groaned. JJ laughed. "I know, this phone has the worst timing." She said, flipping open her cell. "Hey Spence."
Bella immediately leaned forwards JJ, hoping to catch a whiff of the conversation. All she got was mumbling from Spencer and a few 'Uh-huh's and 'Okay's from JJ.
"Okay. See you." JJ finally said, flipping the phone shut.
"So?" Bella asked anxiously, 'The Notebook' completely forgotten.
JJ took a deep breath, milking the suspense a little. "He's coming back." She announced after a few seconds.
Bella smiled and bounced up and down on the couch. "I get my dork back!"
JJ chuckled, but couldn't help but tease the young girl a little. "Your dork?"
Bella froze, flushing pink. "I mean, the communal dork returns?"
"Uh-huh." JJ said, smirking. "Seems like you missed him quite a lot."
Bella shrugged. "Well, yeah. He's my best friend."
JJ raised an eyebrow. "Nothing more?"
Bella groaned again. "Jayje, did my uncle put you up to this?"
"No! I'm just wondering. You guys just seem to get along quite well. Always hanging out, going to the dance, really protective of each other…and I've seen the way he looks at you."
"Jayje, I swear, it's nothing. Just my friend. Friiiieeennnndssss, understand? The real mystery is you and Spence. Are you guys even dating?"
Just then, there was a knock on the door. JJ shot Bella a confused look and headed to answer it. She opened the door and there was Spencer and Andrew looking exhausted, but really pleased. Bella hopped up from the couch.
"Andrew!" She said, throwing her arms around him. He smiled, hugging her back.
JJ laughed, giving Spencer a quick hug. "You said you were boarding the plane like 10 minutes ago."
Spencer feigned shock. "Oh, I mean to say we were down the street!" JJ punched his shoulder, lightly. "Surprise!"
JJ then turned to Andrew. "Hey, little man." She said, causing Andrew to smile at the use of his goofy nickname. "How does it feel to be a Reid?"
Truthfully, he still felt pretty alone and empty, but knowing he was really a part of the Reid family had made him feel more secure. He wasn't happy exactly or really sad either. He sighed, deciding on the right choice of words. "It feels…it feels like I'm no longer lost. Like, everything will be okay." He finally announced, wrapping an arm around Spencer.
Reid and review, please! Your thoughts inspire me to write more. Oh, and for those with the review issues, I'm working on it.