Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. And Gabe belongs to the CW and Kripke. I own nothing.
Previously on Criminal Minds- After they dropped the girls and Spencer at the hotel, they'd drive to the station to question Wasden again. And this time they weren't leaving until they got some answers.
CM
Emily slid the key card into the slot and opened the hotel room door. Walking through, she held it for JJ who shuffled past with a sleeping Reid wrapped securely in her arms. After a quick scan of the empty hallway, Prentiss silently shut the door and locked it before going over to the bed and taking a seat beside the slumbering toddler.
Walking over to the table, JJ grabbed the plain, brown bag on top and reached inside. She sifted through the contents until she found what she was searching for; the toddler sized Winnie the Pooh pajamas. Tossing the pajamas on the bed, she hurried to the bathroom, coming out moments later with an armload of supplies. Going to the bed, the blond agent deposited the items next to the pajamas before sitting on the edge of the bed. "I've got this, Emily." She said as she pulled off one of Reid's shoes. "Why don't you take a shower while I get Spence ready for bed?"
"Wait, why do you get to change him?" Emily asked, slipping off the little boy's other shoe. "I may not be a mother but I'll have you know, I took care of lots of babies when I was younger."
JJ glanced up at her fellow agent in surprise. "Sorry, I just figured you wouldn't want to do diaper duty."
"And pass up the blackmail chance of the century? Are you nuts?" Emily asked.
"You wouldn't?" JJ gasped, trying and failing to hide a smirk.
"Oh, come on. Like the thought hasn't crossed your mind" Prentiss shot back.
"I would never…okay so maybe I would. But not until Spence is his adorable grown self again." JJ conceded with a smile.
"Of course" Emily agreed. "Now what do you want me to do?"
"You take the top half." JJ instructed, handing Prentiss the pajama top. "And I'll take care of the rest."
"You got yourself a deal." Emily said. Setting the clothing down, she gently took the stuffed bunny out of the sleeping toddler's left hand before sliding the boy's arm out of his shirt sleeve. 'Now for the hard part' she thought. Taking hold of Reid's other hand, the FBI agent pulled his thumb out of his mouth and quickly tugged the shirt over the baby's head and off his arm. Releasing the tiny fist, Emily chuckled as Spencer immediately stuck his thumb back in his mouth. Sighing, she picked up the pajama top and swiftly put it on the slumbering boy. She glanced over at JJ who was pulling the pajama pants over the bulky pull-up. Grabbing the edge of the blanket, she waited for her friend to finish and then settled the blue spread over the toddler. Taking the pillows off the other bed, she placed them on either side of the sleeping boy to ensure he wouldn't turn over and fall off the bed. Satisfied that he was as safe as he could be considering the circumstances, Emily stood and stretched. "I think I'll take that shower now." She whispered. "I just have to get a few things from my room first."
"Go ahead. I'll watch him for a while." JJ assured her college as she stepped over to the table and took a seat.
"Thanks" Emily said. She walked to the door and after a quick glance back, went out closing the door behind her.
JJ quietly put the supplies back in the bag. She placed Reid's dirty clothes on top of the fold out stool sitting in the closet before going in the bathroom and tossing the used pull-up in the trash can under the sink. Going back into the main room, JJ gazed over at the peacefully sleeping toddler on the bed. She hoped the guys would be able to convince Wasden to give them the antidote because as adorable as Spencer was, she knew he'd never be happy this way.
CM
Wasden sat in the bland interrogation room muttering to himself. It had been well over an hour since anyone had come in and he was beyond bored. This game was getting old fast. He had thought that once they caught him, the FBI wouldn't stop questioning until they had the answers they wanted. He hadn't counted on the BAU leaving him alone for so long. Gabe was seriously considering just taking off and leaving them to figure things out. That wouldn't be as much fun as seeing their faces when they realized…footsteps and the rattle of the doorknob brought him out of his thoughts. Looking up, Gabe grinned as the first agent walked through the door. "Agent Morgan, I was hoping I'd see you! You're so much more fun than…" he stopped, grimacing as another BAU member came into the room. "Agent Hotchner, you're back. You know you really should have listened to your mother when she warned you your face would stick that way. Constipated is not a good look for you."
"Mr. Wasden, I trust you have had time to reflect on your situation." Hotch said as he took a seat across from the frowning suspect.
"Uh huh, Agent Hotchner, you're forgetting the rule." Wasden scolded, shaking his head.
"Rule? What rule?" Morgan inquired.
"You mean Dee and Dum didn't tell you?" the suspect asked, motioning to the older agents.
"No" Morgan replied.
"Figures" Wasden huffed. He glared at the other two profilers before turning his attention back to the well built man in front of him. "Okay, here's the deal; if you want me to answer your questions, you have to use my God given name: Gabe."
"Gabe? I thought your name was Marion." SSA Morgan stated.
"P-lease" Gabe scoffed. "Marion is Wasden's name, not mine."
"You saying you're not Wasden?" Rossi broke in.
The brown haired man rolled his eyes. "Not a chance. Wasden's just some poor smuck who mops floors and washes bed pans for a living. No way I'd have his life. I'd die of boredom after the first few hours."
"If you're not Wasden, why do you look exactly like him?" Rossi pointedly asked.
"Easy, I'm borrowing him for a while." Gabe said like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Borrowing him? What do you mean, Gabe?" Morgan questioned.
Gabe sighed. "I mean exactly what I said. I'm just borrowing his body for a while so I can do my job." He informed the agents.
"And what job would that be, Gabe?" Rossi asked.
"I was hoping you'd ask that." the suspect crowed. "I have the most fun job on the planet! See, I am tasked with showing people the error of their ways and giving people what they deserve."
Curious, Hotch quickly jumped in. "Giving people what they deserve? Is that what you call it?"
Ignoring the BAU leader, Gabe proudly continued his bragging. "You ever hear that phrase 'the grass is always greener'? Well, my job here was to show the good folks of this town that that old wives' tale just isn't true."
Wanting to keep the suspect talking, Morgan leaned forward and asked, "How did you do that Gabe?"
"Easy, I just listened to their thoughts and made their fondest wish come true." The young man answered. "Take Bobby Estes for example. The guy has been moping for years thinking if he was taller, his life would be perfect. He'd have all the girls fawning over him and be respected by the guys. So, I made him taller and he found out real quick it wasn't all it's cracked up to be."
"Gabe, you made him eight feet tall." Morgan pointed out.
"Hey, he wanted tall, he got tall." Gabe shot back.
Now it was Morgan's turn to roll his eyes. "What about changing them back? How did you manage that?" he inquired.
"Oh, the changing back part was totally up to them." Gabe replied. "As soon as they realized their little dream wasn't so wonderful after all, they changed back to their normal selves."
"But that doesn't make sense." Morgan muttered. "What about…"
"Agent Reid?" Gabe supplied.
"What? How do you know about that?" Hotch growled.
"It's my job. Duh" Gabe sarcastically stated.
"Well then you screwed up, kid." Rossi said. "Reid never wished to be a child."
"You're half right." Gabe agreed. "Your agent had no desire to be a kid again. His change was for a totally different reason."
"Which is?" Morgan prodded.
Gabe cocked his head to one side. "In all the eons I've been around, I've met millions of people and they've all had one thing in common; they all had some kind of childhood to speak of. It might not have been a long one or a particularly happy one, but they had one none the less. I thought that was something every human was granted. But then I met up with Agent Reid and I realized I was wrong. The boy might have been a child at one time but he clearly never had a childhood; not a proper one at any rate. That just wasn't right. Everybody should experience a childhood and all the fun it brings. So I decided to give him a very special gift, the chance to be a kid."
"Okay, so you wanted him to be a kid for a while and he has. I took him to the park and he played on the swings and slides and everything." Morgan told the suspect. "So why didn't he change back like the others?"
"Because he's not like them, Agent Morgan" Gabe simply stated. Seeing the agent motion for more, he rolled his eyes. "While the others controlled their fates, he doesn't. I made sure of that. If he had control, he would have changed back a few seconds after he became a child. No, this one is all up to me. My "spell" as Agent Hotchner so quaintly called it won't wear off until the date I decided on."
"And that date would be?" Rossi asked.
"Agent Reid has until the new year begins to have a fulfilling childhood." Gabe filled in. "I figure all the holidays coming up should give him plenty of childhood experiences."
"What? That's two and a half months away! You can't do that to him!" Morgan yelled.
"Can and did" Gabe countered with a smirk.
"I don't think you thought this through, Gabe." Rossi said. "Agent Reid has a job, responsibilities. He can't possibly stay a kid for that long."
"Sure he can. I've fixed things. Agent Reid can go to work every day just like he always does and no one will be the wiser. The people in your building will only see what I want them to see; which is a grown Reid working at his desk. Strauss the grouse will never know he's a little tot. And if you have to go out of town to work a case, the same will hold true." Gabe explained. "See, I have everything worked out. Agent Reid gets to be a kid without worrying about losing his job."
"What if he doesn't want to stay a kid? Can he change back early if he wants to?" Rossi asked.
"Nope, sorry Agent Reid is stuck in his toddler form until the stroke of midnight on December thirty-first." Gabe declared. "No refunds, exchanges, or substitutions can be made."
"Stroke of midnight? What do you think this is; Cinderella?" Morgan huffed.
"Oh, Cindy! She was a nice girl." Gabe sighed before turning his attention back to the agents. "Now if that's all the questions you have for me, I'll just be on my way. Take care of the little guy for me."
"Mr. Wasden, you're not going anywhere." Hotch firmly stated.
"Again with the Mr. Wasden. And here I thought you'd finally come around." Gabe grumbled. "Okay, look technically you're not supposed to see this but I'll bend the rules just this once. Otherwise certain people who shall remain nameless" he glanced over at Hotch, "will never believe."
"Mr. Wasden, I think…"
"Silence" Gabe commanded, smirking as the BAU leader tried and failed to speak. "Good. Now if I was Wasden, could I do this?"
The agents watched in amazement as a light appeared in the middle of Wasden's chest. The light grew and grew until it surrounded the man. Covering their eyes as the brilliant light filled the room, the agents struggled to keep sight of their suspect. However the intensity of the light quickly forced them to close their eyes.
"It's safe to open your eyes now, gentlemen." Gabe announced moments later.
Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan slowly opened their eyes. Blinking as their eyes adjusted to the now dimly lit room, the agents jaws dropped at the sight before them. A man with light brown hair and brilliant blue eyes stood beside their suspect. They immediately drew their weapons, frowning when the movement made the stranger laugh.
"Ah come on guys. Put the pea shooters away, would ya? It's just little old me." Gabe whined.
"Gabe?" Morgan asked, glancing from the man standing before them to the sitting suspect and back.
"The one and only" Gabe crowed.
"But how did you…"
"Easy" Gabe interrupted. "I'm Loki, the trickster god. I can do anything I want."
"Hotch, you buying this?" Rossi whispered, keeping his gaze on the man in front of them.
"No" Hotchner replied. Stepping closer to the newcomer, he scowled at the man. "I don't know who you are or how you got in here but you are interfering in a federal investigation." He growled. "That makes you…"
"Oh p-lease!" Gabe huffed. "I can't believe you! You have got to be one of the most stubborn, pig headed men I've ever met. And considering all the people I've dealt with over the years, that's really saying something." Scratching his chin, the young man thought for a minute before grinning. "Guess I'll have to show you I am who I say I am." Snapping his fingers, he chuckled as the man before him was suddenly transformed into a small, gray donkey.
"What the hell?" Morgan hollered.
"Morgan, Rossi, what's going on? What happened?" Hotch brayed.
"Aaron, you're a, a donkey!" Rossi gasped, stepping closer to the animal.
"Technically, he's an ass" Gabe corrected. "Appropriate, isn't it?" Three sets of eyes turned to glare at him. "Geez, turn down the death beams, dudes. It's your own fault, anyway. You're the ones who didn't believe me."
"Turn me back" Hotch demanded, stomping his hooves.
"I don't know. I'm not sure you've learned your lesson yet." Gabe hedged before smirking. "Oh all right, you win." He snapped his fingers once more, returning the BAU leader to human form. "Now that we've got that out of the way, I really have to be going."
"Wait a minute. You cause all this trouble and now you're just going to leave Wasden to suffer the consequences?" Rossi incredulously asked.
"Are you kidding? I'm actually doing the public a favor. Wasden's not innocent. The man's the worst kind of scum. He's a pedophile, one that's never been caught; at least till now." Gabe informed the agents.
"We have no evidence of that and we can't hold him on your say alone." Hotch said.
"All the evidence you need to put him away for good is in his secret hideaway at his place." Gabe replied. Seeing their confused expressions, he rolled his eyes. "Oh, for pete's sake! Do I have to do everything?" he grumbled, shaking his head. "Fine, you'll find everything you need in the tree house behind the barn. There's more than enough there to get rid of him. And just so you know, that's what the police are going to remember bringing him in for. They won't remember anything about the other case and neither will anyone else except the people who were meant to learn the lessons."
"You seem to have thought of everything." Rossi admitted.
"Part of my job is to make sure my work goes unnoticed." Gabe replied. "Now I really do have to go. See you guys in a few months." He waved to the profilers before snapping his fingers and disappearing.
"Well, that was different." Morgan commented, staring at the now empty space. "You really think he is what he said he is."
"I don't think we have much choice." Hotch answered.
"So, what do we do now?" Rossi asked.
"First, we send someone to check out that tree house. If the evidence is really there, we'll leave Mr. Wasden in the police's hands and fly back to D.C." Hotch decided.
"What about Reid?" Morgan questioned.
"We'll think of something." Hotch assured the others. "If Reid really is stuck being a child, we'll take care of him. Between the six of us we should be able to handle one highly intelligent toddler."
"I hope you're right, man." Morgan muttered as he followed Hotch and Rossi to the door.
CM
Reid awoke the next morning to hushed voices followed by the click of a door. 'That's odd.' He thought. 'I don't remember inviting the girls to my room.' Frowning, he sorted through his last memories and was shocked to find that he couldn't even remember coming back to the room. In fact, his last memory was eating at a restaurant with the rest of the team. Wondering what he had missed, Spencer slowly opened his eyes. He yanked his thumb out of his mouth, staring at it in disgust for a moment before sitting up. Fisting his eyes, he glanced around the room, taking in Prentiss and JJ's jackets hanging on a chair along with his. Tossing the covers aside, the toddler started to slide off the bed. He stopped as he caught sight of the Pooh pajamas he was now wearing. Reid definitely didn't remember wearing those; which meant someone had changed him while he was sleeping. And since the only other people in the room had been JJ and Emily that meant…"Oh God! Kill me now" he groaned blushing at the thought of them changing him.
"Hey, you're awake!" JJ brightly said as she came into the room. "I was starting to think you were going to sleep all morning."
"JJ, did you, did you, ummm" Reid stammered.
Guessing what the little boy was referring to, the young woman smiled. "Yes, I changed you last night, Spence." JJ replied, ruffling the boy's hair. "You don't need to be embarrassed about it. I'm the mother of a little boy, remember. You don't have anything I haven't seen before."
"JJ!" Reid shouted, as he slid off the bed and headed for the bathroom. He only made it a few steps before the door opened and Emily and Morgan walked in carrying some Styrofoam containers.
"Well, well, well, look who's up." Morgan said. He handed his load off to JJ before reaching down and scooping the toddler up. "And just where do you think you're going, Junior?"
"I gotta go, Mowgan" Reid whispered.
"Oh, okay youngster" Derek replied. Turning to the girls, he said, "You ladies go ahead and eat. I'm just going to help Spencer get ready." Grabbing a clean outfit for the boy, Morgan hurried into the bathroom and shut the door.
Half an hour later the team had thrown everything into their SUV's and hit the road. Watching the scenery fly by, Reid frowned as they passed the exit to the police station. "Mowgan, you passed ouw exit."
"No, I didn't." Derek replied. "We're not going to the station. There's no reason to."
"Why not?" JJ asked.
"Well, it turns out Wasden wasn't who we thought he was. I mean he was Wasden but his actions were being controlled by another man, uhh being. Something called a Loki." Morgan explained.
"You mean to tell me Wasden told you he was a twi'sew god and you be'eved him?" Spencer squeaked.
"Oh, he did more than just tell us, he showed us." Morgan replied. "This bright light came out of Wasden. It was so bright, we had to close our eyes. And when we opened them, Wasden was still sitting in the chair but there was another guy standing beside him. We thought the guy had managed to sneak into the room which seemed to tick him off. So he did something that convinced all of us that he really was telling the truth."
"What did he do?" JJ inquired.
"He turned Hotch into a donkey." Morgan told the others.
"He what?" JJ gasped.
"fat's im'os-im'os, won't wowt" Reid stuttered.
"I'm telling ya, one second Hotch is standing there and the next he's a little gray talking donkey." Derek argued. "It was really freaky."
"So the guy really was telling the truth? He's really a Loki or trickster or whatever you call it?" JJ questioned.
"Yeah and that's not the worst part. He said he'd turned Reid into a kid and that he wasn't going to turn him back until the end of the year." Morgan recounted. "We tried everything to change his mind but he was adamant you stay a little kid till then."
"Tate me to him. I'll tell him I don't want to be a tid." Reid suggested.
"Sorry, kid no can do." Derek apologized. "He disappeared on us."
"So I'm tut lite fis?" Spencer quietly asked.
"Afraid so, buddy" Morgan answered as he turned onto the exit he was looking for. "Don't look so down, Pretty Boy. We're going to take care of you. Starting today, you've got nothing to worry about except having fun. We're going to take care of everything else."
Sighing Spencer nodded his head. He couldn't believe he was going to be stuck in this tiny body. He didn't want to be a kid. He had a job to do. How was he going to do his job like this? He couldn't even go to the bathroom without help. The team was going to be forced to take care of him for the next few months. He didn't want…a huge colorful sign snapped him out of his thoughts. Turning to glare at the driver, Reid crossed his arms. "Mowgan, what awe we doing hewe?" he angrily asked.
"Baby Girl and I thought we'd have a little fun before we went home." Derek replied. Slowing down, he stopped to get directions from a man at what looked like a toll booth before carefully going through the gate.
"Fun?" Spencer hollered. "I'm not a tid, Mowgan! Fis pace is fow tids."
"Come on Spence. Relax. It'll be a nice break." JJ pointed out. "Besides, I've always wanted to come here."
"JJ's right man" Morgan agreed as he parked the SUV. "You are in for a treat."
"Wight" Reid muttered, sighing as JJ unfastened the straps of his car seat and picked him up. He didn't know who'd invented that contraption but they ought to be shot. That was the most uncomfortable thing he'd ever been in.
"You guys ready for some fun?" Rossi asked as the group walked towards the entrance.
"Not you too" Spencer gasped.
"Are you kidding me? I hear they have some of the best food in the country and I for one intend to sample as much of it as possible." Rossi replied. He led the way through the no bag line and up to the ticket booth.
Morgan went up to the electronic ticket counter and punched in the numbers Garcia had given him the night before. Taking the tickets, he quickly handed them out as they hurried to the turnstiles. Once they made it through, they put their tickets away, smiling as they made their way to the tunnel at the beginning of the park.
Reid grumbled under his breath as JJ carried him through the tunnel. He couldn't believe the team brought him here. He wasn't some little kid! He was a grown man for pete's sake! He enjoyed going to museums and libraries, not some kiddy amusement…his thoughts ground to a halt as they walked out of the tunnel and he saw the row of figures in front of them. "Put me down" he instructed, wiggling and squirming in JJ's hold until she complied. "Loot at fose!" he excitedly hollered before dropping JJ's hand and running ahead, disappearing into the crowd.