Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. Disney World is not mine either. I do not own anything you recognize.
AN- Thank you to everyone still reading! And a special thank you to those kind enough to leave a review. To the anonymous reviewers thank you so much for reviewing!
Previously on Criminal Minds- Seeing the youngster dig into his food, Derek smiled. It looked like it might be a good day after all.
CM
Watching Spencer animatedly chattering away to a costumed Mickey and Minnie, Rossi sighed. He had to give it to the kid; he was good. For all appearances he looked and acted like a happy, rambunctious toddler. But Dave knew better. He saw the fear in the boy's eyes every time someone walked past their table, the flinch when he was touched, and the slight tremor that started whenever strangers got too close. To make it worse the youngster's reactions were getting more pronounced every time another character or waitress stopped by their table. And with the number of people starting to come into the place, the profiler knew things would go downhill very quickly if they didn't do something. They needed to get Reid out of here and fast before he became overwhelmed by the crowd and had a panic attack. Thankfully, Dave had a pretty good idea of how to do that. He waited for the two costumed characters to leave and then placed his fork down on his empty plate. "I don't know about the rest of you but I'm stuffed." He said, patting his stomach. "I couldn't possibly eat another bite."
"Me, either" Morgan agreed. Frowning in concern as the toddler in his lap shivered slightly, the younger man gently rubbed the boy's back. Figuring the growing number of people in the restaurant was starting to get to Reid, he decided to hurry the others along. "I'm ready to get outta here and check out the park. What do you say, guys? You about ready to hit the rides?"
Emily's "Absolutely" was quickly echoed by Garcia, JJ, and Hotch.
"What about you, Spencer? Are you finished eating?" Derek asked.
Downing the last of his chocolate milk, Reid set his plastic cup on the table and looked over the remaining bowls and plates before gazing up at his friend. "Awe fewe anymowe tawbewwies?" he hopefully asked.
"Sorry, kiddo, we ate them all." Garcia regretfully told the youngster.
"Is there something I can get you?" their waitress, Melissa inquired as she walked up to the table.
"Yes ma'am" JJ answered. "Could we get a few more strawberries?"
"And the check" Hotch added.
"Certainly, I'll be right back with some strawberries for you." Melissa said with a smile. Nodding as Hotch repeated his request for the check, she turned and walked away.
"So, what's at this park?" Rossi asked, hoping a distraction would calm the nervous toddler.
"I'm not really sure." Morgan responded, running a hand across his bald head. "I didn't check into this one much. What about you, Pen? Do you know what the fun rides are here?"
"Well, there's not much at this one as far as rides go. There's one that takes you through the different tests cars are put through and then there's one that simulates a rocket ride to Mars. I don't think Spencer will be tall enough to ride either of those though. Umm, I think this is the one that has the aquarium building and something about dinosaurs and energy." Garcia ticked off. "Oh, and you can go over to the other side and go through the World Showcase to see replicas of several other countries. I don't remember any of the rest. I guess we can walk around and see what there is to do."
"Tan, tan we go in fat big ball we saw coming in?" Reid hesitantly asked.
"Sure we can, Little Man" Derek answered, ruffling the toddler's hair and laughing at the huff his actions caused.
"Here's your bill, sir" Melissa stated as she walked back to the table. Seeing the surprised expression on the man's face, she smiled. "Jim said you're welcome and to enjoy your day." Turning to the baby's mother, she handed the young woman a Ziploc bag filled with strawberries and a smaller bag of ice. "I hope this is enough. There's some ice in the bottom of the bag to keep them cool while you're walking around."
"Thank you" JJ said as she took the bag.
"You're welcome, ma'am" the young brunette replied before nodding to another waitress. She waited for the slightly older woman to get beside her and then smiled down at the baby. "We noticed that your little one didn't have an autograph book for the characters to sign and no child should be without that. So, we got him this." She started to hand Reid something, stopping as the toddler scooted away and hid his face in his uncle's shirt. Not wanting to frighten the boy anymore than he already was, she gave the bright, red autograph book and matching pen to his mother instead.
"Fant you" Spencer mumbled, peeking out at the waitress from the safety of Morgan's arms.
"You're welcome, sweetie." Sarah replied, giving the toddler a smile.
"Mickey, Minnie and the others already signed it for him." Sarah, the other waitress explained. "When you meet other characters, remember to have them sign separate pages. That way when you get back home, you can transfer the autographs into this memory book." Sarah gave JJ a long dark blue book that had a picture of fireworks over the castle emblazoned on the front. Opening the book, she pointed out the two framed parts of the page. "See, your picture with the character goes at the top and the autograph goes underneath."
"This is wonderful! Thank you so much." JJ gratefully told the two women.
"It was our pleasure, ma'am." Melissa said. "I'm sure you're ready to head out now so we'll just be on our way. You folks have a good time in the park today. Come back to see us anytime."
"We will. And please tell everyone thank you for us." Rossi replied for the group. Once the waitresses left, he stood and helped JJ up. "I'll go get the stroller."
Derek adjusted his hold on Spencer and then carefully slid out of the booth. Smiling as Hotch, JJ, Emily, and Garcia surrounded them, he tucked the boy tightly to his side and swiftly made his way out of the restaurant flanked by the rest of the team. He then walked over to Rossi who was waiting over in a quiet corner of the building. Feeling tiny hands fisting his shirt, Derek bypassed the stroller and snuggling Spencer into his side, hurried out of the building. Once outside, he went over to a deserted bench and took a seat. "You okay, kid?" he questioned. Getting a slight nod, he frowned. "You wanna go back to the hotel? You could finish that spaceship model we bought." Hearing a muffled answer, he asked, "What was that, Reid?"
Taking a deep breath, Spencer lifted his head off Morgan's shoulder and gazed up at his friend. "I said it's a tawship, not a paceship." he corrected, swiping a hand across his eyes.
"Everything alright?" Aaron inquired as the group caught up with the two.
Reid nodded. "I'm otay." He assured, giving his friends what he hoped was a cheerful smile. "We tan go wide now."
"You sure?" Emily asked, the concern clear in her voice.
"I'm suwe" Spencer declared. Glancing at the buildings around them, he pointed to a huge glass building with a tall, triangular roof. "Let's go see what fat is."
"Alright" Dave agreed, pushing the stroller up beside his two co-workers. "Are you ready to ride in your chariot? I think your pets are lonely in there by themselves."
Rolling his eyes at the older man's comment, Spencer timidly nodded. He didn't really want to leave the safety of Morgan's hold but he knew the others wouldn't quit worrying until he did. Bracing himself as his best friend lifted him up, the toddler willed himself not to grab hold of Derek and never let go. It took all his strength to accomplish it, but he managed to hold back. Once in the stroller the youngster scooted back as far as he could and, snagging an Ewok in each hand, hugged them to his chest.
The profilers exchanged worried glances before starting up the slight incline to the building Reid had pointed out. The toddler's actions were a clear sign that the littlest member of their team was anything but alright with being in the park amidst the throng of vacationers; which meant that he was only pretending to be for their sakes. However, they also knew that calling Spencer on it and taking him back to the hotel would only make the young man more upset, thinking he had ruined their day. No, it seemed the only thing they could do at the moment was go along with the youngster's charade and try to minimize his exposure to large groups.
Making it to the building, Dave looked it over before turning his attention to the enormous waterfall off to one side. "Well, would you look at that?" He stated, raising an eyebrow. "The water is falling up instead of down."
"What? Fat's imposs'ble!" Spencer exclaimed. Scooting closer to the edge of the stroller, he sat up as straight as he could and craned his neck trying to see what Rossi was talking about. Unable to see anything more than flashes of stone wall amid the bustling crowd, the toddler looked at his friend and raised his arms. "Up, peas"
"Sure, kiddo." Smiling, Dave leaned down and scooped up the toddler and his stuffed companions. Settling the curious boy on his hip, he walked over to the bridge railing so Reid would have an unobstructed view of the falls. "See, it's going up the waterfall."
Spencer watched the unusual waterfall for a few minutes. He knew water flowing upwards was an impossibility but it certainly looked like it was flowing up and he hadn't spotted any artificial means of making it do so. Curious, he decided he needed to investigate the strange waterfall further. "Hotch, did Gawcia's boot say anyfing about fis watewfall?" he asked.
"Not that I recall, but I'm sure one of the employees would be able to tell us more about it or if not at least where to go to find some information about it." Hotch replied. "Tell you what. After we ride these two rides, I'll ask the clerk in that store about it. Alright?"
"Otay" Reid agreed.
Decision made, the group left the bridge and walked over to the entrance at the front of the building. They made their way through the colorful corridor leading to the line for the Journey to Imagination ride. The swiftly moving line went around the edges of a circular room and then to the middle where the ride carts slowly rolled along. Stepping onto the moving walkway, the profilers broke into groups of three and four and hurried over to their assigned rides. They sat back, relaxing as the carts took them through the Imagination Institute's testing building. Laughing as a bright purple and pink dragon managed to muck things up for the institute's head time after time, the family joked about what might pop up next.
All too soon, the ride came to an end. Exiting the carts, the profilers walked through the door, mouths dropping open as they took in the sight of the huge, noisy room ahead. Stations of different sizes and colors were set up all over the cavernous space. There were places with monitors and cameras where people were doing something with keyboards, a fenced in space with flashing spots on the floor, and a place where kids acting out a scene in front of a video camera that then put them into a cartoon on the monitors above them. Fascinated, the team headed for the nearest attraction. Stopping at the sound of a voice calling, the group turned to find a Disney employee motioning them over.
"Good morning, folks" Rick, the Disney employee greeted. "I trust you're having a magical day at the park. How about a group picture to remember your vacation? It'll only take a minute."
Aaron glanced at his colleagues to gauge their thoughts before nodding. "Alright"
"Great! If you'll just step over to the counter, I'll show you all the different backdrops you can choose from." Rick instructed as he walked up to the counter and flipped open a book. He waited for the group to get beside him and then continued. "This shows the backgrounds and poses you can pick from. You folks look through them and let me know what you decide."
"Thank you" Dave said. Walking up next to Hotch, he shifted Reid so the boy could see the book. "What do you think, Spencer? See one you like?"
Reid studied all the backgrounds carefully before making his decision. Turning back several pages, he pointed to a picture of the Disney welcome sign above a family that was surrounded by cartoon characters. "Fat one" he declared.
Hotch called the young, black haired employee back over and showed him the backdrop the toddler had picked.
"Nice choice" Rick complimented. He typed the background number into the computer on the counter and then ushered the group in front of a plain green screen. The young man swiftly positioned the parents and baby in the middle of the group with Morgan and Garcia on JJ's side and Rossi and Prentiss beside Hotch. Going over to the camera, he grabbed a small bulb attached to a cord. "Alright folks, look right here at the camera and on the count of three say, "Mickey". Ready? One, two three!"
"Mickey!" the group chorused.
Rick snapped the picture and then glanced at the camera screen. "Got it on the first take. You guys are good." He commented as he went over to the computer on the counter. "Now if you'll just give me a few minutes, I'll get it printed out and framed for you. It'll only take about 15 or 20 minutes. Why don't you check out some of the games and activities while you wait?"
"We'll do that." Aaron replied, glancing at his watch. Turning to the rest of the team, he said, "Let's see what's here."
JJ readjusted her hold on the squirming toddler in her arms. "Spence, what's wrong?" she whispered.
"I've gotta go to the bafwoom." Reid whispered.
"Aaron" she called, grabbing the man's arm. "We need to find a bathroom. Fast."
Taking in the wiggling toddler, Hotch nodded. He hurried back to the picture counter and asked the young man that had taken their picture for directions. He then quickly walked back to the group. "Come on. There's one right outside the building."
"You guys go ahead. I'll stay here and wait for the picture." Rossi told the others.
"Alright, the restrooms are on the left side of the building after you exit. We'll meet you there." Aaron instructed. Turning, he swiftly led the group over to the exit and down the hall to the escalator. They rushed down the moving staircase and out the door leading to the outside. Hurrying around the building, they made a beeline for the restrooms.
Once at the bathrooms, Morgan turned to JJ and held out his hands. "I'll take him." he offered.
One glance at the men's room door had Spencer's heart racing as memories of previous day's events flashed through his mind. Trembling under the assault, the toddler latched onto JJ, dropping his head on her shoulder. "No, I, I tan't. Peas, don't m-mate me." He softly stammered.
"Shhh, Spence, it's alright. You don't have to go in there." JJ soothed, carding a hand through the toddler's long locks. Sharing a worried glance with the rest of the team, she quickly thought of a solution to their latest problem. "I can take you in the ladies restroom instead."
"What? I, I tan't go in fewe! It's the ladies woom!" Reid protested, staring at his friend like she'd lost her mind.
"Sweetie, women take their little boys in the ladies room all the time." JJ informed the toddler, pointing to a mother and son just exiting the bathroom.
"Come on Spencer. When you've gotta go, you've gotta go. So, where's it gonna be, short stuff? Are you going with me or JJ?" Derek questioned.
Shivering as he glanced towards the men's room, Reid quickly looked away. "JJ" he whispered, handing his stuffed toys to Morgan.
"Alright, be back in a minute, Morgan." JJ said before hurrying into the restroom. Going into the first empty stall she came to, the young woman shut and locked the door. After gently setting the toddler on his feet, she swiftly pulled down his pants, sat him on the toilet, and then turned around to give her embarrassed friend a little privacy. Hearing the little boy say he was done, JJ helped him clean up and pull up his clothes. She picked Spencer up and carried him over to the sink. The two washed and dried their hands and left the restroom. Walking over to the others, they noticed that Rossi had joined them. "They finished the picture that fast?" JJ asked.
"Yes, they did and I have to say they did an excellent job." Dave replied. "That's the best family photo I've seen in a while."
"You guys ready for the next ride?" Emily inquired.
"Uh huh" Spencer answered, taking his Ewoks back from Derek.
"You're gonna love this one, Sweet Pea! It's a 4-D movie based on that movie Honey I Shrunk the Kids! It's called Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and I hear that the effects are super awesome! They say you really feel like you've been shrunk!" Garcia excitedly explained as the group walked towards the entrance to the show.
"Umm, Gawcia, I have been." Reid pointed out, eliciting a round of giggles from the team.
"Oh, yeah" Penelope mumbled. Walking into the building, she reached into the glasses bin and pulled out two pairs. She took one of the 3-D glasses and slid them on Spencer's face, grinning brightly at the overly large glasses on the tiny boy. Following the team into the adjoining room, she crossed her fingers that the movie and the rides that followed would bring back her bubbly, talkative Junior G-man.
So, getting bored, yet?