FATHER VERSUS DADDY

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JJ looked down at the little bundle in her arms, the little pink had perched on her head. Their daughter. Twenty-six hours of labour had resulted in the stubborn first born of Jennifer and Spencer Reid. JJ was thankful for both Emily and Penelope who had been her sanity through it all. The three girls between the two months meant they were well-versed in the events involved in childbirth. Emily had even brought five-month-old Kate with her. But now, Calleigh Diana Reid was sleeping peacefully in her exhausted mother's arms. JJ's eyes were closed, but she heard the squeak of the door brought her attention to a visitor. The gasp made her open her eyes with a gentle smile.

"Hey," she greeted her husband softly.

One of Spencer's fingers brushed over his daughter's cheek. He was in shock, JJ knew, the same haze he'd lived in for the last nine months. "Look at what you did, Jenn," he whispered.

JJ smiled. "Look at what we did," she corrected. "Do you want to hold her?"

"Jenn, I..."

"You've been practicing this for months, Spence," she said softly. "Hold your daughter. You won't break her."

He was more than reluctant as he lifted the tiny body into his arms. He looked down at her tiny face, brushing his fingers against her nose. "JJ.... she's..."

But JJ didn't answer, didn't finish his sentence like she usually did. With her daughter safely in Spencer's arms, she'd drifted up to sleep. So Spencer moved backwards into a nearby comfortable chair. His eyes still fixed on his new baby girl.

"What do you think, Calleigh?"

JJ kept her eyes resolutely closed as she heard her husband talking to their newborn daughter. Her nap made her feel much stronger and the way he was talking to his daughter made her heart flutter and her stomach heat.

"You're going to be good for your Mom and I aren't you?" Spencer was saying softly. "I know you are. And I'm going to do my very best to be the best Daddy for you."

JJ smiled. He was going to be a great father to their little girl.

"I'm going to do my best to be there through every second of your life. First steps, first words, first day of school... all the way through. But there are things that I may not be able to do. See, your Daddy may get really sick. And it doesn't mean I don't love you and it doesn't mean I don't love your Mommy any less, but I could get really sick. And I may have to go away."

JJ had to force herself not to sniffle.

"I don't know what to do with you," he told his hours-old daughter quietly. "I've never been good with kids, your cousins can testify to that, but they've been trying to help me get ready for you. But they're not my responsibility. You are. I have to take care of you, protect you, teach you everything I know. Which is a lot."

The new mother bit her cheeks against the laughter that bubbled up in her chest.

"I think you're going to be smarter than me. I think you're going to be smarter than everyone you know. I bet you're going to have your Daddy's brain and your Mommy's smile. You're going to be beautiful like your Mommy, I can tell. And I'm going to need your Uncle Derek's help when you get older to make sure no one hurts you and breaks your heart. Because you deserve everything we can give you."

JJ rolled over quietly, her eyes lighting on father and daughter. Spencer was cradling the small body to his chest, looking down at the bundle of blankets with adoration and wonder on his face. She smiled.

"I will always love you, Calleigh Di. You and your mother. You're my girls. Sometimes I wonder if I tell your mother that enough. We went through some rough years until you came along, sweetheart. I fought with her on everything and she ran away almost every time. We've both made some mistakes. I told her I never wanted kids, but if I'd known it was going to be you... I love all ten fingers and little toes of yours."

"You're going to be a great father, Spence," JJ finally spoke up, unable to hold it in anymore.

Spencer's head came up with surprise and he met her sleepy smile with one of his own. He stood carefully, making his way to her bedside. "Here."

"You don't want to hold onto her?" she asked, even as she accepted the weight of her daughter. "Have a good talk with her?"

"We talked about all sorts of things," Spencer replied his hand coming to rest on Calleigh's head. "We talked about her crazy aunts and uncles and her cousins that all want to meet her. And we talked about her future."

"Oh, so you told her all about our plans to send her to Oxford?"

She laughed when Spencer wrinkled his nose. She hoped her daughter had every opportunity in the world, but she wasn't sure she was going to be comfortable sending her daughter across an entire ocean.

"I figured MIT," he murmured in reply.

"Of course you did," JJ replied, grinning down at her daughter. The little girl was awake now, moving her arms and legs, letting out a little cry. JJ shifted, to see if Calleigh was hungry. "And she agreed."

"Of course she did," Spencer answered, watching. "She trusts her dad."

JJ smiled widely, her eyes tearing again. "You realize you just called yourself her dad?"

Spencer turned red.

"It's the first time I've ever heard you actually say it," she said with a smile.

"I am her father," Spencer replied.

"No," JJ answered, removing one of her hands from her daughter to cup his cheek. She pulled him closer, kissing him. "You're her daddy."

I meant to do this ages ago, but there have been a few people bugging me about names and keeping the kids straight. First, I made a whoospies. Seth and Adam are the same kid. Second, here's the master list in oldest-to-youngest order:

Morgans: Gabiella (Gabi), Christopher (Chris)

Reids: Calleigh, Nathaniel (Nate), Eric

Hotchners: Jack, Anna-Joy (AJ), Kate, Seth

That should be everyone! Let me know if you guys are having issues connecting characters to others. With oneshots, I may miss things that I thought I addressed and then actually didn't.