Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the DVDs. I don't own "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe either.

Author's Note: Special thanks to Flames101, ChocoboMuffins, Jotchprossi18, canny-bairn, and deeda (welcome back!) for the reviews!

Verse, Gather, Pardon

"...To shut her up in sepulchre, In this kingdom by the sea."

"Uh, Spence," JJ said, shutting him up. She nodded to Jack and Henry who were looking at him with bewilderment. "I think that's enough."

"But that's only the third verse," Reid whined. "There's two more."

JJ patted him gently on the cheek. "I know, but they're three and almost six. Poe is a little beyond them right now."

Reid sighed. "So, pumpkins?"

"Yeah!" Jack and Henry both shouted. The four of them were standing in the middle of a pumpkin patch where they had been tasked by Garcia to pick out pumpkins to decorate the BAU with for Halloween.

"Where's Hotch?" Reid asked as he was dragged along by the two boys.

JJ pursed her lips. "He got called into a meeting. He doesn't think he'll be gone longer than a few hours."

"So, how come you have Jack?"

"Um," JJ hesitated. She glanced down to see the boys examining a large pumpkin on the ground, ignoring the discussion between the two adults. "Jessica's out of town this weekend so called and asked if I would take Jack while he went into the office."

"It's just odd that he didn't call Rossi, isn't it? I mean, they're pretty close. Jack calls him 'Uncle Dave' and Rossi coached Jack's soccer team."

"Uncle Dave?" Henry repeated, looking up.

JJ pointed to a pumpkin a few feet away. "What do you guys think about that one?" She waited until the boys were gone before turning to Reid. "What's with the twenty questions?"

Reid shrugged. "I don't know. Just making conversation, I guess."

She sighed. "When I was... away from the BAU, Hotch and I would get together every few weeks or so just to check in. We nearly always had the boys so they became pretty close. It's not the first time he's asked me to baby-sit and it won't be the last."

"JJ!" Jack called out. "Can we get this one?"

JJ wondered over to them. "Sure. Help me put it in the wagon."

"How many are we supposed to get?" Jack asked her, when they put the pumpkin into the wagon.

"Aunt Penelope wants at least ten so we better start moving." JJ looked at Reid, who was looking at her in confusion. She assumed it was over calling Garcia "Aunt Penelope" to Jack, but Reid wisely said nothing.

"Ooh, Henry! Look at that one!"

Reid bent over and brushed the dirt of a small pumpkin. He added it to the wagon. "How are things with you and Will?"

"Good. Henry stays with me most of the time, but Will takes him whenever we're out of town, every other weekend, and every Wednesday. Henry seems to be adjusting well." JJ smiled at her son, who was excitedly pulling on Jack's sleeve and pointing to something in the distance.

"He seems happy."

JJ patted Reid's arm. "He could use some more time with his godfather."

"I know. I just..." Reid's voice trailed off and he looked down at his feet.

"Have been really mad at his mom," JJ finished, softly. "I get it. It's one of the reasons I asked you to come with us today. That and I know how much you love Halloween."

Reid grinned, sheepishly. "I'll set something up with just Henry and I soon. Maybe we can go to the museum."

"JJ!" Jack called out, again. He and Henry came running towards her. "Henry wants to get his face painted. Can we?"

"Don't you want to finish picking pumpkins first?" she asked him.

Jack looked at the pumpkins, then the face painter, before turning back to JJ. She could almost see the wheels turning in his head. "I think me and Henry would work faster if we had our faces painted."

"Okay," JJ laughed.

Jack grabbed Reid's hand, dragging him down the row of pumpkins. "Come on, Uncle Spencer! You have to get your face painted, too!"

Reid looked back at JJ in confusion and fear. She simply laughed at him with a wave. She gathered Henry up, towing the wagon along. They caught up with Jack and Reid in line to get their faces painted. Jack got his face painted as a lion. Henry got his painted as a cat. Reid got his painted as a dog. He proceeded to chase both boys back to the pumpkin patch.

"He called me 'Uncle Spencer,'" Reid beamed as they ate ice cream cones, the boys sitting a few feet away from them, watching the people walk by.

"Well, Henry calls you 'Uncle Spencer' so I'm sure it was only a matter of time before Jack started to call you that," JJ explained.

"Still..." Reid continued, "it's something."

JJ ran her hand over his back. "Feels good to be 'Uncle Spencer,' doesn't it?"

"It really does."

"Okay, guys, let's go gather the rest of these pumpkins," JJ told them. "It's getting late and we're going to meet Hotch for pizza."

Jack and Henry jumped up from the ground with enthusiasm. They raced each other back to the pumpkin patch with a new determination to finish the job. Reid got caught up in their excitement and quickly followed them down the rows of pumpkin. JJ stood at the edge of the patch with the wagon, enjoying the sight of Reid, Jack, and Henry running back and forth, comparing the pumpkins to find the best ones.

"Pardon me?" A deep voice surrounded JJ, coming up from behind her. "Have you seen my family?"

JJ instinctively took a step backward. She went to turn, but found herself stopped by a pair of strong arms enveloping her waist. She sighed, happily, as he put his chin on her shoulder and rocked her gently.

"You know, Reid is here," JJ told him, "and he's been asking all kinds of questions, personal questions, about just how close we really are."

"And what did you tell him?" Hotch whispered, the lips just touching the outside of her ear, causing her to shiver.

JJ pulled him closer. "I may have avoided the question a bit."

"We're going to have to tell people soon. I mean, we're moving in together next month." Hotch rubbed his cheek against hers. "Jack asked the other night if he could call you 'Mom.'"

She gasped, pulling away from him to turn in his arms. "What did you tell him?"

Hotch's hands were on her waist, running his thumbs in circles. "I told him that I would talk to you about it. I told him that you were fine being 'JJ,' that it didn't matter what he called you, you would love him just the same."

"What did he say?"

"He said that he knew you loved him no matter what. He wants to call you 'Mom' because he loves you."

JJ pressed her lips to his, murmuring, "I love you."

"I love you."

"Jack can call me 'Mom' or 'JJ' or 'Godzilla.' I don't care as long we're together," JJ told him. She stood on her toes to kiss him again.

"Daddy!" Jack shouted, rushing up to them.

"Hotch!" Henry cried out. He and Jack flung themselves around Hotch's legs. Hotch leaned down to kiss them hello.

Reid followed with a smirk. "Hey, Hotch."

JJ grasped Hotch's hand. "So, Spence, we have something to tell you. We've only told Rossi and Garcia so far."

"Actually," Reid interrupted, "I have something to tell you. You guys just won me twenty bucks." He chuckled at Hotch and JJ's startled expressions. "Morgan and Prentiss bet me that I couldn't get you guys to come clean about your relationship first."

"You knew?" JJ asked, incredulously. "I thought we hid it so well in the office."

"Oh, you did," Reid assured her. "You just forgot one little detail."

Hotch shifted, uncomfortably. "Which is?"

"Almost three-year-olds have big mouths, especially at birthday parties for their 'new brother.'"

Hotch and JJ looked at each before looking down at at Henry. He grinned up at them, unaware that he was the topic of conversation. Hotch tapped Henry's nose lovingly.

"Well, then," JJ said, with a shrug, "I guess pizza's on you."

END