Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. Disney World is not mine either.
Previously on Criminal Minds- "I will." Spencer said even though he had no intentions of saying a word. He was tired of being toted everywhere like a little baby. He was going to walk no matter how tired he got.
CM
Climbing down the last step of the tree house, Spencer was more than ready to be back on his boss' shoulders. This walking while in toddler form was definitely not all it was cracked up to be. He had to practically jog to keep up with the other members of his team not to mention that the stairs were more like mountains from his height. And the view left a lot to be desired, too. All he could see from his vantage point was the backs of people's knees. Throw in the fact that he couldn't hear what his friends were chatting about from way down there and it all added up to one unhappy little boy. But instead of asking to be carried, Reid kept silent. He didn't want the team to think he was weak. He was going to suck it up and keep…he squeaked as he was grabbed from behind.
"Easy Pretty Boy, it's just me" Morgan soothed as he hoisted the toddler up on his shoulders.
"Mowgan, put me down! I tan walt!" Spencer argued even though that was the last thing he wanted his friend to do.
"Sorry shrimp, no can do. We won't get very far if we keep walking at that snail's pace of yours. And I for one want to see as much of the park as I can." Derek replied.
"I wouldn't argue with him if I were you, sweet pea. You'll never win." Garcia warned. "Besides, why walk when you can ride?"
"Garcia's right, Reid" Emily agreed. "If I was you, I'd take advantage of it while I could. After all, how many chances are you going to get?"
"I guess you'we wight." Spencer decided.
"I'm always right, baby doll." Garcia shot back, smiling at the grimace her newest nickname caused. "Now just sit back and relax and let Derek do all the…Oh my gosh! It's Captain Jack Sparrow!"
"Where?" Emily and JJ asked as they excitedly scanned the area.
"There!" Penelope squealed, pointing off to the left where a small crowd had gathered. "Come on let's go over before he gets away."
Chuckling at the ladies' enthusiasm, Morgan, Hotch, and Rossi slowly followed the three to the growing crowd. Finding an open spot, they stood and watched as the Captain Jack look-a-like and two or three of his men taught a handful of children how to be pirates. The ruffians schooled the children on walking, talking, and fighting like them, entertaining the crowd with their lighthearted banter and slapstick comedy as they did. After all the explanations and demonstrations, Captain Jack made the small group of youngsters repeat the pirate oath to complete their initiation. The kids were then declared full fledged pirates to end the show. As soon as the newly crowned pirates scattered, Rossi, Hotch, and Morgan each grabbed one of the girls and pulled them away from the show. They headed into the stone building beside them that housed the pirates ride. Once inside, they walked down a short hall and got in the long line to wait.
CM
"Well, that was a pretty good first ride, even if it was a little slow for my taste." Morgan commented as the BAU walked into the store at the end of the ride. "What'd you think youngster?"
Reid peered up at his friend. "It was wafew enjoy…"
"Spencer" Hotch softly warned, adjusting his hold on the boy as he squeezed his way through the racks of merchandise and back out into the sunshine.
"It was umm, it was fun." The toddler revised.
"More like awesome! I mean did you see that animatronic Jack Sparrow sitting in the chair at the end? It looked just like him!" Garcia gushed. "And so real looking that I just wanted to reach out and…"
"Whoa, Baby Girl!" Morgan broke in. "There are children present."
"Oops! Sorry about that, Baby Bear" the tech analyist apologized, glancing over at the youngest member of their group. Seeing the toddler scowl and open his mouth to protest, she quickly added, "So, what's next my hunk a hunk of burning love?"
Grinning, Derek shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we should follow the road, see where it goes."
"Sounds like a plan to me" Hotch agreed. He settled Reid on his shoulders before leading the way past a handful of shops and into another part of the park. Hearing a whoosh followed by a thunderous boom, he stopped and glanced at Morgan. "What was that?"
"I don't know" Derek replied, shaking his head. "Rossi's the one with the map."
Rossi pulled the map out of his back pocket and studied it for a moment. "There's a ride up ahead called Splash Mountain. It must have been that." he told the others.
"That must be some splash." Emily muttered as they resumed their walk. Going around a corner, she almost ran into JJ when the young blond abruptly stopped walking. "JJ, what the…" She stopped mid sentence as she caught sight of the reason her friend had stopped. An enormous man made mountain towered above the bridge several feet ahead of them. A steady stream of water ran from an opening near the top and as she watched a log shaped vehicle filled with screaming people plunged down that waterfall. Landing at the bottom, the flume splashed water over the side of the bridge, soaking the spectators. "Now that's what I call a ride."
"Dibs!" Garcia called, grabbing Morgan's arm and tugging him towards the ride. Noticing the rest of the team still just standing there staring, she huffed. "What are you guys waiting for? Let's go before there's a long line!"
"You heard the lady. Move it!" Rossi urged, heading after Morgan and Garcia with the others right behind him. They quickly caught up with the two and hurried across the bridge somehow managing to avoid the spray of water. They followed the signs past a shop and down a long flight of stairs. Finally making it to the entrance of the ride, the team encountered their first problem; a height requirement sign.
Nodding at the attendant, Hotch set Reid down in front of the sign, already knowing the toddler was nowhere near tall enough to ride. Seeing the big gap between the top of Spencer's head and the bottom of the sign, he picked the boy back up and walked over to a set of benches that were in one corner. Taking a seat, he settled Reid in his lap. "You guys go ahead and ride. Spencer and I will wait here." He informed the others.
"No way, Hotch. We can't just leave you sitting here for half an hour." Morgan argued. "This is a group trip, remember? We'll just find something else to ride."
"Mowgan, you tan't not wide betause of me." Spencer said. "Fat's not faiw to you."
"What about you Sweet Pea? It's not fair to leave you sitting here doing nothing while we have fun." Garcia pointed out.
"Oh, he won't be bored." Rossi answered with a smile. "Reid and I are going to explore Tom Sawyer's Island while we wait, right Reid?"
"Yeah, I guess" Spencer replied.
"Sounds like fun. Count me in." Hotch said as he stood back up.
"Oh, no you don't. You are not leaving me with these three." Derek protested.
"Come on boss man. It'll be fun!" Penelope urged.
"Yeah, you need to kick back and relax. Let your hair down a little." Emily suggested.
"Go ahead Aaron. Reid and I will be just fine." Dave prodded.
"Alright" Hotch agreed. "If you're sure"
Taking the toddler from his friend, Rossi nodded. "I'm positive. Now get going. That line's not getting any shorter."
"We'll call when we get off the ride." Morgan told the older man. Reaching over, he ruffled the little boy's hair, smirking as Reid slapped his hand. "Be good, Short Stuff!"
Reid smiled as he watched his friends disappear around the corner. He was glad they were going to have a little grown up fun. It wasn't fair for them to be stuck riding all the baby rides because of him. Speaking of being stuck, the toddler peered up at the man holding him. "Wossi, you didn't have to tay wif me. I tould have tayed at child swap." He told the older man.
"And risk getting these boots wet? I don't think so. These babies are genuine Italian leather. No way I'd get on that ride with them on." Rossi explained as he walked back up the stairs and down the path to a sign announcing raft rides. He got to the roped off area just as one of the wooden crafts pulled up to the dock. The profiler waited for the rope to be moved and then carefully climbed onto the raft, taking a seat on the wooden box in the middle.
Reid gazed around the lake in awe. To his left a train looking roller coaster zoomed down the tracks some of which were over the lake itself. The island lay in front of them with only a dock and the side of a house visible from his vantage point. Past that a mansion of some type stood majestically on a hill. And in front of that an old fashioned steam boat loaded passengers for what he could only imagine was the ride of a lifetime. Feeling the raft back away from the dock and slowly putt towards the island, he turned his attention back to his companion. He sighed as he glanced around at all the people surrounding them. Resigned to playing the role of little kid, Reid looked up at his friend and asked, "Unta Dave, what's on the island?"
Rossi stared at Reid in surprise for a moment before remembering Hotch's earlier instructions. Pulling the map out of his pocket once more, he held it in front of the two of them. "Well, let's see kiddo" he said as he looked at the paper. "It looks like there's a fort and a suspension bridge and a few other buildings. There should plenty for us to do while we wait for the uhh, rest of the family."
"Oh otay" Reid agreed, returning his gaze to their destination.
Rossi carefully folded the map and stuck it back in his pocket. Noticing that they were about to pull alongside the dock, he tightened his hold on the toddler in his lap, not wanting the little boy to fall if they bumped the wooden structure. Once the raft stopped, he waited for the other people to get off before standing. The profiler carried his youngest colleague off the raft and up the cement steps beside the dock. He followed the path through the woods a little ways, stopping at the mouth of a cave. "Hey kid, you want to go through the cave, see where we come out?" he offered.
Spencer took one look at the dark cavern and shook his head. "No, thanks Wossi" he replied. "I fint I'd wafew go to the fowt."
"The fort it is" Rossi agreed. He walked on following the sparse signs until they reached the old wooden fort. He went inside and glanced around. Seeing a bench off to one side, the older man quickly made his way over and took a seat, setting Reid down beside him. "I think I'm going to sit and rest for a while. Why don't you go look around a little bit?"
"Otay" Spencer agreed. He slid off the bench and tottled towards the open door on the other side of the structure. Making to the doorway, the little boy glanced back at his friend before turning and disappearing into the fort.
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Rossi started as a shrill ring filled the air. Snatching his cell phone out of his pocket, he swiftly flipped it open. "Rossi" he answered.
"Dave, it's Aaron. We just got off the ride." Hotchner told the older man.
"Okay, Spencer and I will take the next raft back over. You can meet us at the dock." Dave instructed.
"Will do" Aaron replied.
Rossi closed his cell and pocketed it before standing. Glancing at his watch, he was surprised to see that Reid had been out of his sight for twenty minutes. Deciding there must be more to see than he had thought, the veteran BAU member strode over to the door his friend had disappeared into and stepped inside. Finding the room empty, he started up the stairs that were along one wall. His walk turned into a run as a muffled thud followed by a child's cry reached his ears. Taking the remaining stairs two at a time, Rossi made it to the top in record time. Turning towards the sound of the commotion, he saw Reid sprawled on the ground with two older boys standing over him. "What's going on here?" he demanded as he rushed to the toddler's side.
"It, it was an, an accident!" the smaller of the two boys stammered. "We didn't mean to h-hurt him! Honest!"
Rossi knelt down beside Reid who was struggling to sit up. He helped his friend sit up, propping him against the wall for support. "You okay, Spencer?" he asked as he began checking the boy for injuries.
Reid gave Rossi a slight nod before screwing up his face and crying, "Unta Dave, the big boys knoted me down and huwted my an-leg!"
"It was an accident!" the taller boy haughtily protested. "He ran in front of us. There was no way we could stop in time, right Ben?"
The younger boy, Ben, jumped as he was elbowed in the side. "Yeah right" he hesitantly agreed.
"Is that what happened, Spencer?" Rossi asked, already knowing the answer. Being a profiler had its perks especially where children were concerned.
"No, I was playing wif fat gun and him told me to get out of his way! And, and fen him pushed me down!" Reid explained between sobs.
Dave ran a hand across his face. He'd figured as much. He carefully scooped Spencer up as he glared at the two little trouble makers. "Take me to your parents. Now." He growled.
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Morgan sighed as the latest raft finished unloading. "What do you think's taking them so long?" he asked as he scanned the island for any sign of their missing friends.
"Don't worry so much, Morgan. They probably just haven't made it back to the dock yet." Emily suggested. "You know how Reid can be. I bet he's making Rossi stop every few feet to check out the foliage or something."
"I hope you're right." Morgan muttered.
"We'll find out in a minute. They're coming down the stairs to the dock now." JJ said, pointing across the lake.
"See, I told you they were fine." Emily bragged.
"Wait a minute, why's Reid sucking his thumb?" Garcia asked as she watched Rossi and Spencer board a raft. "And who are those people talking to them?"
"Something's wrong" Hotch surmised, studying his friends and the people around them. He quickly strode over to where the passengers unloaded, eyeing the craft and his friends the whole time. Standing at the exit, he waited impatiently for the raft to cross the lake and pull into the dock.
As soon as the raft stopped and the rope was removed, Rossi stood and made his way off the watercraft. He could tell by Hotch's stance and Morgan's expression that the men knew something had happened and he wanted to get to them and explain before anyone blew a fuse. Shaking his head at that notion, he hurried up the walkway to the rest of the BAU.
Reid sighed around his thumb as they got closer to the other members of their team. He really hated having to act like a child but he didn't have much choice. The parents of the two boys had insisted on apologizing to Reid's "parents" after they'd heard what their little darlings had done. Knowing how a normal toddler would behave in this situation, Reid willed the tears back into his eyes and reached for Hotch. "Daddy! Daddy!" he cried.
A shocked Hotch took the toddler from Rossi and held him close, his eyebrows disappearing under his hairline as the boy's tiny arms wrapped around his neck. Without thinking, the young father kissed the crying boy's forehead. "Shhh, it's okay Spencer" he soothed before turning his attention to his friend. "What happened, Dave?"
"Excuse me sir, but that would be my boys fault" a tall black haired man interrupted. Feeling everyone's eyes suddenly boring into him, the man swallowed hard before continuing. "Sorry, I'm Stephen Edwards and this is my wife Tricia and our boys Blake and Ben. Our boys have something they want to tell you. Boys, tell mister Hotchner what you did. And you better tell him the truth. Understand?"
"Yes sir" both boys glumly replied. They glanced up at Hotch but quickly looked away.
"Well?" Mr. Edwards prodded.
Blake, the older of the two boys, slowly looked back up at Hotch. "We were playing at the fort and we got to the guns upstairs. There was only two and we both wanted to play but Spencer was playing with one of them already. We, I mean, I told him to move. But he said no that he was there first. So, I umm, I pushed him. I didn't mean to hurt him though. Honest! I just wanted to get him outta the way so we could play."
"That's no excuse!" Mr. Edwards growled.
"Mr. Edwards, if I may?" Morgan asked. Getting a nod, the muscular man walked up to the boys and knelt down, looking the oldest boy in the eyes. "So you think it's okay to push someone out of your way?" he asked.
"We told him to move and he didn't listen!" Blake insisted.
"So it's alright to push somebody if they do something you don't like?" Morgan replied, motioning to the father that he had everything under control.
"Well, yeah" Blake agreed.
"I see." Morgan said. Standing, he glared down at the boy. "Well then I get to push you since I didn't like you hurting Spencer."
"No! You can't do that! You're bigger than me!" the eight year old protested.
"So? You didn't say anything about size." Derek challenged, getting down in the boy's face.
"Yeah, but, but" Blake stammered, searching for a way out of his predicament. "If you push me down, you'll hurt me 'cause you're way bigger than me!"
"And you're bigger than Spencer." Morgan pointed out, smiling as the light bulb went off for the boy. Taking hold of the boy's chin, he forced Blake to look at him. "Kid, I want you to listen and listen good. You might be big but there's always going to be someone bigger out there. You tick off the wrong person and you'll be the one in Spencer's shoes. And make no mistake those bullies won't stop at just a push. You'll end up with the s-crap beat out of you or worse. If I was you, I'd keep my hands to myself. You never know, the next kid you push might have an older boy that's not as nice as I am. Got me?"
"Yes sir" Blake squeaked.
"Good, now get outta my sight before I change my mind about hurting you." Morgan ordered, stifling a chuckle as both boys dashed behind their father.
"Thank you" Mr. Edwards said, shaking the profiler's hand. "I've been trying to drill that lesson through his head for a long time."
"It was my pleasure." Morgan replied. "Just do me a favor and keep a closer eye on those two. I don't want to hear about any other kids getting pushed."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. Neither one of them is going to have the time or the freedom to bother anyone else. I'm going to personally see to that." Mr. Edwards assured the profiler. Looking at his family, he said, "Let's go. We've got a lot to talk about on the way home." Placing a hand on his boys' shoulders, Edwards led his family away from the group.
Rossi shook his head as he watched them leave. If those two didn't straighten up, the team might very well see them sometime in the not so distant future. Turning his attention to his friends, he sighed. "Aaron, we better get the kid to the first aid station so they can take a look at his ankle. I think it's just sprained, but with his size we can't afford to take any chances.
"Lead the way" Hotch said, ignoring Spencer's muffled protest. Readjusting his hold on the toddler so that the boy's injured ankle was supported, the BAU leader followed the others down the street to the closest available station. It looked like their fun day had come to an end.