Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. I do not own anything you recognize.

Previously on Criminal Minds- "Sure buddy" Aaron answered, his forehead crinkling as the boy's actions set off the BAU leader's daddy radar. Reaching up, he checked Spencer's fever and sighed. "Let's get you home."

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Hotch trudged into his hotel room and carried Spencer over to the bed. He laid his charge down before unzipping the youngster's go bag and pulling out Reid's Stitch pajamas. Taking a seat on the bed, Aaron swiftly changed the sleeping boy into his night clothes and tucked him into bed. He then shuffled over to the short counter and retrieved the children's fever reducer and Reid's antibiotic. After reclaiming his spot on the bed, the weary father carefully measured out the right amounts of each medication. "Spencer, Spencer wake up for a minute son." he called, shaking the toddler's shoulder. "Come on buddy, you need to take your medicine."

Groaning, Spencer groggily opened his eyes long enough to swallow the foul tasting liquids before dropping back off to sleep.

Smiling, Aaron leaned over and kissed his surrogate son's forehead. "Sweet dreams, buddy" he whispered. He sat watching the little boy sleep for a few moments before collecting the medicine bottles and standing. Turning around, he almost ran straight into Rossi.

"You turn" Dave simply stated, holding out a couple of pills and a bottled water. "And no you don't have a choice."

Aaron took the Tylenol and washed them down with a swig of water. "Thanks" he said. He set the water bottle down on the night stand and ran a weary hand through his short cropped hair. "I need to take a shower. Would you mind staying with Spencer until I get out?"

"You talk like I'm going somewhere." Dave huffed, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms.

Hotch raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"Don't give me that look. Spencer's sick and you're hurt. I'm not about to leave the two of you alone." Rossi told the younger man.

"You'll get no argument from me." Aaron said after a few minutes. "After everything that's happened lately, I won't turn down a second pair of eyes."

"Like you had a choice" Dave scoffed, smirking at the surprised expression on Hotch's face. "Hit the shower. You've got thirty minutes."

"You can't be serious?" Aaron incredulously asked.

Rossi glanced at his watch. "Twenty nine minutes and counting." He stated.

Shaking his head at his friend, Aaron quickly gathered a change of clothes and shuffled into the bathroom. He set the clothes on the toilet seat before turning on the water and glancing at his watch. Making a mental note of the time, the profiler undressed and stepped into the shower. He sighed as the spray of warm water soothed his sore muscles. Hotch stood under the stream for a few minutes before reluctantly reaching for the soap. He had no desire to find out what would happen if he wasn't out when his allotted time was up.

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Dave cupped his hands under the running water and splashed some cold water on his face. He was beyond tired but there was no time to sleep. Blinking tiredly, he dried his hands on a towel and then crept back into the bedroom. The senior agent checked on his two peacefully sleeping charges before going over to the counter. He picked up the children's fever reducer and grabbed a juice box out of the mini-fridge with a sigh. He hated to wake Reid up but he needed to take some more medicine. Reminding himself that this was for the boy's own good, Dave walked over to the bed and carefully took a seat beside the sleeping youngster who was snuggled into Hotch's side. He reached out a hand and gently shook the boy's shoulder. "Spencer? Spencer, wake up kiddo" he quietly called.

Reid's forehead scrunched as his eyes lethargically opened to half mast. "Wossi, top!" he whined.

"Shh, don't wake up Aaron." Dave warned, picking up the protesting boy. He settled the sleepy toddler in his lap and held out the medicine cup. "Here you go, buddy. Take this and then you can go back to sleep."

Yawning, Spencer popped his thumb out of his mouth, took the offered cup, and obediently swallowed the medication. He quickly traded the measuring cap for the open grape juice box. Putting the straw into his mouth, he quickly slurped up the entire contents of the small carton. Spencer gave the empty box to Rossi before popping his thumb back in his mouth and leaning against the older man's chest. "Tiwed" he whispered.

"I know buddy." Dave softly replied. "Let's get you tucked back into bed." He reached down to pick up the toddler, stopping when the boy's free hand fisted his shirt and he shook his head. "Spencer, what's wrong? Don't you want to go back to bed?"

Spencer shook his head in reply. "Tan't I tay *yawn* wif you till I fall a'leep?" He asked.

"Of course you can kiddo" Dave answered. Not wanting to wake Hotch, he scooped up Reid and walked over to the couch by the wall. Sitting down, Rossi smiled as tiny fingers played with the hair on the back of his head. "That better, Spencer?"

Spencer nodded into Rossi's shoulder. Yawning, he closed his eyes, melting into his friend's embrace. Needing one more comforting gesture, he timidly asked, "Wock, peas?"

"You got it, buddy." Dave agreed. He slowly began to rock back and forth. Rubbing circles in Spencer's back to sooth him, the surrogate uncle kissed the top of the toddler's head. Feeling the youngster relax, Rossi smiled and continued his ministrations. He rocked long after the boy in his arms fell asleep.

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Hotch awoke feeling refreshed. Wiping the sleep out of his eyes, he thought over the day to come. His first job would be to wake Spencer and…his thoughts ground to a halt at the realization that the toddler was not beside him on the bed. Bolting up, he immediately scanned the room for his charge. Seeing Spencer and Rossi curled up on the couch, he relaxed. Chuckling at the scene, the young man snatched his cell phone off the nightstand and snapped a couple of pictures. Afterwards, he tossed the blankets aside and climbed out of bed. Taking one of the blankets, he tiptoed over to the sleeping agents and covered the two. Assured that Spencer was in good hands, Aaron grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

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A knock on the door roused Rossi from a sound sleep. Opening his eyes with a groan, he found himself looking into wide, brown eyes. "Morning, buddy feeling better?" he asked as he slowly sat up.

"Yes siw" Spencer answered with a nod.

Hearing someone pound on the door again, Rossi sighed. "Guess we better go open the door before whoever it is knocks it down." He said. Kicking off the blanket covering them, Dave picked up the toddler, stood, and trudged to the door. Glancing through the peephole, he wasn't surprised to see an anxious Morgan standing there. He'd actually expected him sooner. The senior profiler opened the door and stepped aside to let the younger man in. "Morning, Morgan" he greeted.

"Morning" Derek returned though his eyes were not on the man but the toddler in his arms. "Hey Pretty Boy, feeling better?"

Reid sighed. He had a feeling he was going to hear that a lot over the course of the day. "I'm otay Mowgan." He assured, blushing as his stomach chose that moment to growl.

Morgan ruffled the embarrassed boy's hair. "Hungry, Short Stuff?" he teased.

"There's a room service menu on the counter." Hotch informed the others as he emerged from the bathroom. "You two order while I help Spencer with his bath."

"Okay" Morgan agreed. He walked to the counter and retrieved the room service folder. Opening the plastic menu, he swiftly perused their choices. "You know what you want, kid?"

"Weese's Puffs, peas" Spencer replied.

Rossi frowned at the sugary cereal choice. "Pick something else, Spencer." He instructed, handing the little boy to Hotch. "You don't need all that sugar."

Reid's mouth dropped open. "But, but"

"I said no." Dave reiterated. "You need something nutritious to rebuild your strength not that sugar loaded crap."

"Fine" Spencer huffed, poking out his bottom lip. "Tan I have waffles?"

Morgan shook his head. "Sorry Short Stuff, no waffles on the menu. They have pancakes, though. Chocolate chip pancakes"

Spencer's eyes lit up. "I'll tate the pantates!" he squealed.

"Order a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, too." Aaron said before Rossi could protest. "He can eat some of it with his pancakes."

"What about you, Hotch? You want the usual?" Morgan inquired, heading to the phone between the two beds.

"That sounds good." Aaron responded as he pulled a change of clothes out of Reid's go bag. "See if there's something suitable to watch on TV while you wait. Spencer and I will be out in a few minutes."

Nodding, Morgan picked up the phone and ordered their breakfast. Setting the receiver down, he yanked his cell out of its cradle. "I'm gonna call JJ and Em and see if they want to join us." He told Rossi.

"Might as well, they'll just turn up anyway." Dave said. He grinned as a knock sounded. "Speak of the devil."

"I'm gonna tell them you said that." Morgan teased as he sauntered over to the door. He glanced out the peephole before throwing the door open wide. "Good morning ladies! Perfect timing as usual."

"Morning Morgan! Morning Rossi!" the ladies chorused. They looked around the room before JJ asked, "Where are Hotch and Reid?"

"Relax JJ, nothing's wrong." Rossi assured. "They're just in the bathroom. Hotch is helping Reid with his bath."

"How is he doing?" Prentiss questioned, taking a seat at the table.

"Hotch or Reid?" Derek inquired with a smirk.

Rolling his eyes at the younger man, Rossi quickly filled in the blanks. "Aaron is fine and Spencer is getting there. His fever finally started dropping around three. He'll be okay in a few days. He just needs a few more days of rest."

"Good luck with that." JJ scoffed. "If he's anything like Henry or Jack, it's going to be almost impossible to get him to rest once he starts feeling better."

"He'll rest. I will personally see to that." Rossi declared, scowling when his pronouncement elicited giggles from the ladies.

"What's so funny?" a freshly bathed Spencer questioned as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Nothin'" Morgan hedged. He was not about to tell the kid what they'd been talking about. Hearing a knock on the door, he let out a relieved breath knowing the food would distract the youngster. "That must be room service with our food. Grab a chair Pretty Boy. Breakfast has arrived."

Seeing the huge tray the motel employee handed Morgan, Rossi groaned. "I'm sorry ladies. We didn't even think of asking you if you'd like something to eat." he apologized.

"That's okay, Rossi. We already ate." Prentiss assured her friend. "We just wanted to stop by and check on you guys before we headed out."

"Headed out?" Aaron repeated, helping Spencer into a chair and setting the child's pancake plate in front of him. "Where?"

"We thought we'd go to the video place and rent a few movies." JJ answered. Picking up a napkin, she unfolded it and gently tucked one edge under Spencer's collar. "We figured after yesterday you'd be more than ready for a movie day."

Spencer swallowed the bite of pancake in his mouth before blurting out, "Tan I go?"

"Sorry Sweetie, this is a girls only trip." Emily replied, brushing a stray bang out of the little boy's face. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you need to be resting not out running around a store."

"I won't wun. I'll sit in the buggy. Pwomise." Spencer begged.

"Movie rental stores don't have shopping carts, Spence." JJ reasoned.

"Fen I'll walk ow, ow, you tan tawwy me." Spencer desperately pleaded. "Peas?"

Rossi spoke up, saving the ladies from denying the youngster's request. "Spencer, I'll make a deal with you. If you eat all your food and your fever is under one hundred, then you can go with JJ and Emily. But if it's not, you stay here with no fussing." Dave offered, knowing full well the kid didn't stand a chance. "Deal?"

Spencer thought for a moment, running through everything he knew about children and fevers. Frowning at what little he knew about the subject, he crossed his fingers and took a chance. "Deal" he agreed.

"Now that that's settled, let's eat. I'm starving!" Morgan exclaimed.

Chuckling, the group sat down and tucked into their meal. While the men ate, the team discussed the different movies that might be at the store and which ones they thought were suitable for mixed company. After several friendly battles, horror films were ruled out as were love stories. Crime dramas were the next to go. They saw enough of that in their jobs. They didn't need to watch it on TV. Deciding to stick with family friendly films and action flicks, the family turned their discussion to other matters.

Dave swallowed the last of his orange juice and set down his glass. Looking around at the smiling faces, he knew it was a good time to bring up the holidays. He cleared his throat to garner everyone's attention before speaking. "I'm thinking of hosting Thanksgiving at my cabin this year. It's big enough for all of us to stay under one roof and the kitchen could easily accommodate all the cooks we'll have." He outlined. "What do you guys think?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea." Emily replied.

"Me, too" Derek agreed. "My place is great but there's no way it would hold all of us. Besides, it'll be nice not to have to play host."

"You're not going to your mom's?" JJ asked, sounding shocked.

"Nah, my sisters both have plans out of town that week so my mom decided she'd come visit me this year." He told her.

"Mrs. Morgan's coming here? Great!" Prentiss gleefully said. "I can't wait to talk to her about her baby boy!"

"Oh no you don't!" Morgan hotly contested. "There will be no…"

"Guys" JJ quietly called. Garnering the quarreling parties' attention, she pointed across the table. "Keep it down."

"Awww" Emily whispered as she stared at Spencer who was sleeping sitting up, his spoon still stuck in his mouth.

"I knew he wouldn't last." Dave chuckled. He carefully removed the spoon from the toddler's mouth before picking the youngster up and carrying him to the bed. Tossing the blankets aside, he gently laid Spencer down in the middle of the bed. He grabbed the edge of the cover and tucked it around the boy. "Sweet dreams buddy" he whispered, kissing Spencer's forehead. Standing back up, he silently made his way to the table. "You guys go ahead to the video store. I'll stay here with Spencer."

"Are you sure? I could…"

"Go, Aaron." Dave exasperatedly said. "Spencer will be fine for the half an hour it'll probably take you. I promise."

"Yeah, come on man. You've gotta go. I'll need backup to deal with these two." Morgan proclaimed, pointing at JJ and Emily.

Aaron glanced from Rossi and Morgan to Spencer and back before nodding. "Alright" he agreed. "But if anything happens…"

"Call you." Rossi ended. "I know the drill. Now go on. Get outta here."

"Going, Grumpy" Hotch playfully tossed back as he walked to the door with the others. Stopping at the doorway, he glanced back one more time. "Keep a close eye on his fever and call if he needs me."

Dave fondly shook his head. "Goodbye Aaron" he said, motioning for the profiler to go. Letting out a relieved breath when the younger man did just that, Rossi turned his attention to his sleeping charge. "Looks like it's just you and me, kiddo." He whispered, palming the boy's cheek and smiling as Spencer leaned into his touch. Not wanting to lose contact with the sick toddler, the surrogate uncle sat down on the bed and scooted up until his back hit the headboard of the bed. Snuggling Spencer into his side, Dave settled in for a quiet morning.