Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. I do not own anything you recognize.
Previously on Criminal Minds- Snuggling Spencer into his side, Dave settled in for a quiet morning.
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"I've gotta admit. That was better than I thought it was going to be." Rossi said as the movie credits began to scroll down the screen.
"Yeah, I told the girls they were crazy to want to watch a movie full of singing and dancing to seventies music but it wasn't half bad." Derek admitted. "The music actually fit right into the story."
"Even though a couple of the actors couldn't really carry a tune" Emily muttered as she sifted through the stack of DVDs on the coffee table. Picking out two boxes, she held them up. "Which one do you wanna see next?"
"The karate one" Morgan replied, popping the last bit of cheesy bread into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed his mouthful and then stood. "I'm gonna get another piece of pizza before the movie starts. Anybody want anything?"
"I could use another bottled water." JJ stated.
"Got it." Morgan answered. He squeezed past Rossi and Emily and walked around the end of the couch. After taking the empty bottle from JJ, he headed for the food filled counter. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, he grinned and changed directions, hurrying over to the bed. Derek set his plate and the bottle on the nightstand before sitting down on the side of the bed. He watched as the toddler's eyes blinked open. "Hey Rip Van Winkle!" he greeted as Spencer slowly sat up. "Bout time you woke up. I was beginning to think you were gonna sleep the day away."
Fisting his eyes, Spencer let out a loud yawn.
"How are you feeling, Spencer?" Aaron inquired as he made his way to the bed.
"Bettew" Reid answered distractedly. Licking his lips, he peered up at Morgan and asked, "Do I mell pizza?"
"Yeah, Em and I picked up pizza, buffalo wings, and cheesy bread for lunch." Derek replied.
"Tan I have some?" Spencer questioned, pushing off his blankets.
"Sure" Morgan said, finger combing the youngster's wayward hair to make it lay down. "You want pizza or wings?"
"Bof" Reid responded, sighing when he saw the thermometer in Hotch's hand. He was so sick of being sick. He sat still long enough for the older man to take his temperature and then slid off the bed. "I have to go to the bafwoom." He announced.
"Alright" Aaron agreed. He quickly ushered the little boy into the bathroom and shut the door. Emerging a few minutes later, the two walked over and joined the rest of the team in the small sitting area.
Spotting his plate in the middle of the coffee table, Spencer hurried over. He plopped down on the floor between Rossi and Prentiss. Snagging a bite sized piece of pizza off his plate, he swiftly popped it in his mouth. While he chewed on his mouthful, the tiny agent glanced around the room. A stack of DVDs quickly caught his attention. Gasping, he turned sad, doe eyes on the ladies in the room. "You, you went wifout me?" he stammered.
Emily nodded. "Sorry Sweetie" she apologized. "You fell asleep and we didn't want to wake you up."
"And we didn't wait because we weren't sure how long you'd sleep or if you'd even feel like going out when you woke up." JJ added.
"Oh" Spencer mumbled, gazing forlornly down at his plate.
"Cheer up, buddy" Dave said, rubbing the youngster's back consolingly. "If your fever stays down, I'll see to it that we go out to dinner tonight."
"Weally?" Reid excitedly questioned.
"Absolutely" Rossi answered, falling back against the back of the couch as the toddler launched himself at the man.
"Fants, Wossi!" Spencer hollered, hugging his friend. He then slid off the senior profiler's lap, settled onto the floor, and dug back into his meal. He was going to do everything in his power to keep his fever down so they could go out. He was tired of looking at the same four walls. Thinking of the outing to come, Spencer happily picked up a buffalo wing and dipped it in sauce. He raised it to his mouth only to drop it at Hotch's next words.
"Dave, I don't think an evening out is a good idea." Aaron told the older man as he sat down in the recliner beside the couch. "Spencer's fever was over one hundred and one again last night."
"Yes, but it's been low since early this morning." Rossi reminded the worried father. "Going out for supper isn't going to hurt him, Aaron. It might even help. The kid's probably going cr, I mean sick of being trapped in this room."
Glancing down at his charge, Aaron pinched the bridge of his nose. He hated being the bad guy. But somebody had to be the voice of reason and he guessed that job fell to him. "Spencer is not going out. He doesn't need to be out in the cool night air." He argued.
"He'll only be exposed to the night air for the few seconds it'll take us to walk to and from the SUV and the restaurant. He'll be fine for that long." Dave threw back. "But if you're that worried about it, he can lay his head on your shoulder until we get inside. The air can't get in his ear that way."
"I still don't like it." Hotch grumbled, shaking his head.
"Good thing I wasn't asking your permission then." Dave responded.
"Dave, as the leader of the team…"
"We're not on a case right now, Aaron which means we're not a team, we're a family. And as the senior member of the family, I am naturally the head. That means what I say, goes." Rossi reasoned, smirking at the shocked expression on Hotch's face.
"Yeah, Wossi's the boss." Spencer echoed, standing and wrapping an arm around the older man's leg.
Crossing his arms, Hotch raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Oh, he is, is he?"
"Uh huh, he's the oldest so you have to liten to him." Spencer answered with a nod. "In many cultures old people are revered. It's considered an honor to care for the elderly. In fact…"
"Pretty Boy, you better quit while you're behind." Derek warned, gesturing towards a clearly unhappy Rossi.
Reid glanced at the fuming older man before turning back to his best friend. "What? I only meant that…"
"We know what you meant." Emily broke in, covering the little boy's mouth with her hand. "Now take Morgan's advice and cool it before you're stuck in this room forever."
Spencer's eyes widened at that pronouncement. Nodding his head, he swiftly turned back to his meal. "What, what awe we watching?" he asked, hoping to get the attention off himself.
Sensing the little boy's discomfort, JJ quickly spoke up. "Well, we were going to watch the new "Karate Kid" movie but I think this might be better." She said, holding up a colorful case.
"A tawtoon?" Spencer asked.
"Yes, a cartoon" JJ replied with a smile. "I think it's past time you were introduced to Charlie Brown and the gang."
"Yeah, Pen will kill us if she finds out we had a movie day and didn't show you at least one of the classic cartoons." Emily told the youngster.
"Otay" Reid agreed, not wanting to make anyone else mad at him. Plopping back down on the floor, he sat and munched on his food while JJ put the DVD in the player and clicked play. He watched intrigued as a boy and girl argued about kicking a football. Smiling at the black haired girl's obvious fib, he waited for her to pull away the ball and Charlie to fall flat. When the boy flew through the air instead, Spencer couldn't help but speak up. "Fat's imposs'ble! He wouldn't do fat!"
"Spencer, this is a children's cartoon. It's not supposed to be realistic." Aaron explained. "It's meant to capture a child's imagination."
Prentiss ruffled Reid's unruly hair. "Do yourself a favor. Turn off your brain, forget about the laws of physics and all that and just sit back and enjoy the show."
"I'll twy." Spencer agreed. Turning back to the television screen, he prepared himself for a half hour of boredom.
The adults watched as the toddler quickly became engrossed in the holiday classic. They had hoped the little boy would enjoy the show instead of pointing out all the inaccuracies. Seeing the scene with Snoopy and the folding chair come on, they waited for Reid to fuss about the impossibility of a chair or a dog acting that way. Hearing giggling instead, the family smiled. It had been far too long since they'd heard that sound. Making themselves comfortable, they settled in for an afternoon of Reid watching.
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"A pair of aces!" Spencer crowed, laying his cards on the coffee table.
"Dang kid! Don't you ever lose?" Morgan grumbled. He threw his cards on the table with a huff. Eyeing the little boy's enormous pile of M&M's, he shook his head. "I don't suppose you'd lend me a handful of candy so I can stay in the game?"
Reid glanced from his pile of winnings to his friend's group of five before nodding. "Suwe, Mowgan" he answered, sliding a large group of the chocolates to the older man. "I'll jut win fem bat anyway."
"Don't be so cocky, Pretty Boy. It doesn't suit you." Morgan said. "Sides, I might just surprise you."
"Uh huh, wight" Spencer scoffed, blushing as his stomach let out a loud growl.
"Oh Rossi! Better get your wallet ready!" Emily sing-songed. "Somebody's hungry!"
"Bout time" Dave grumbled, grabbing his jacket off the chair. "I was starting to think I'd have to go by myself."
Hotch snorted. "Spencer wouldn't have let you."
"Fat's wight." Spencer stated, pushing himself up off the floor. He tottled over to Rossi and raised his arms. "Up, peas"
Dave chuckled as he reached down and scooped the toddler up. "I take it you're ready to go?"
"Uh huh" Spencer answered with a nod.
"Alright then, let's hit the road!" Rossi exclaimed. He helped Reid pull on his jacket and then led the way out of the hotel room and down the hall. Once he made it to the elevator, Dave leaned down to allow Reid to push the button.
"Fants" Spencer said as the group stepped into the elevator. Grinning, he pressed the button for the lobby.
"Anytime," Dave replied.
The group of profilers chatted as the lift slowly descended to the bottom floor. Hearing the ping announcing their arrival, they braced themselves for the little bump that always occurred. After the jerky stop, the doors slid open and the family stepped out. They strode through the lobby and out the glass doors. Going over to the twin SUVs, they quickly climbed inside and sped off.
A few minutes later, the team pulled into a crowded parking lot. Glancing at the wooden, saloon type building, Aaron frowned. "The Roadhouse?" he read. "Dave, what type of place is this? It's not a bar, is it?"
"Of course not, I'd never take Spencer to a bar." Dave replied, rolling his eyes. "This is a steakhouse. The manager at the hotel said it has the best food in the whole town."
"Do fey have chiten?" Spencer asked as the SUV pulled to a stop. Reaching down, he popped his seat belt free and tossed it over his head. The toddler climbed out of his seat and slid down to the floorboard. Seeing his door open, Spencer raised his arms.
"I doubt it, kiddo." Morgan replied as he picked Reid up. He settled the toddler on his hip before following the others across the parking lot and into the restaurant. Glancing around at the old time jukebox and the scattering of peanut shells on the floor, he grinned. "This is my kinda place." He said.
"Good evening folks, welcome to the Roadhouse" a tall, skinny teenage boy greeted. "How many are in your party?"
"Five adults and one child" Prentiss responded.
The teen checked the paper on his podium before grabbing the correct number of menus. "Okay, if you'll just follow me." He instructed, brushing his wavy, black hair out of his face. He led the family to a large booth at the back of the room. "Here you go, folks. Have a seat and the waitress will be right with you."
"Thank you" Rossi told the teen, taking the offered menu. He motioned JJ into the booth before taking a seat himself. Spotting a bucket of peanuts, he reached in and took a handful. The surrogate uncle cracked one open and passed it across the table to Reid. "Here kid, this should hold you until the food arrives."
"Fants" Spencer said, popping the nuts into his mouth. Getting up on his knees so he could see over the top of the table, he carefully studied the children's menu. He read through the choices twice before pointing out what he wanted.
"Good evening folks! My name is Erica and I'll be your waitress tonight." a short, chubby woman greeted. The twenty something lady with the dirty blond hair and big smile pulled a pad and pencil out of her apron. "Are you ready to order or should I give you a few minutes?"
Rossi glanced at everyone before answering. "I think we're ready."
"Okay, is this all on one ticket?" Erica asked.
"Yes" Dave replied, not giving the others time to speak.
"Alright, what will it be, sir?" the waitress inquired.
"I'll have the steak dinner, medium well, with a baked potato and salad" Dave rattled off, handing his menu to the young woman. "And coffee to drink."
"I'll have the same." Aaron said.
"Me, too" Morgan called.
Erica nodded as she scribbled the orders. "And for the ladies?" she questioned.
"I'd like the Caesar salad with Italian dressing and a coffee." JJ ordered.
"I think I'll have the popcorn shrimp plate with a side salad and coffee." Emily stated, closing her menu. "And Spencer wants the kids' sirloin tips, well done, with the rice, cinnamon apples, and a chocolate milk. Oh, and he needs a booster seat, too."
"Okay that's three steak dinners with baked potatoes and salads, a Caesar salad with Italian dressing, a popcorn shrimp plate with a side salad, a kids' sirloin tips with rice, cinnamon apples, chocolate milk, and five coffees." Erica ticked off. "I'll go turn your order in now. Be right back with your drinks and the booster seat."
"Thanks" Hotch replied, handing the menus to the waitress.
"You're welcome, sir" the waitress answered as she reached into her apron. Pulling out a four pack of crayons, she held them out to Spencer. "Here you go, Sweetie."
"Fant you" Spencer said, taking the offered box. Knowing he had to act like a little kid, he pulled open the box and dumped out the crayons. Picking one up, he started scribbling all over his placemat.
Snickering at the little boy, Morgan glanced down at his menu. The way the kid was going at it he'd need another menu before long. Finding nothing but crosswords, mazes, and dot to dots on the front, he turned it over. Seeing the giant target and directions, he smiled. "Hey kid! Look at this!" he called, holding up the place mat. "You wanna play a game of peanut toss?"
Spencer's eyes lit up as he gazed at the game. "Yea!" he hollered, bouncing up and down. Plucking a peanut out of the bucket, he gently tossed it onto the target. "Ten points!" he shouted.
"Spence, inside voice" JJ reminded.
"Sowwy" Spencer apologized, ducking his head.
"It's okay Sweetie." JJ soothed. "Just remember to keep it down, alright?"
"Otay" Reid agreed, climbing into the booster seat Emily set down beside him. He turned back to the game just in time to see Morgan's peanut land in the middle of the target. Determined not to let his friend beat him, the youngster grabbed another peanut and tossed it, cheering when it landed right next to Morgan's.
The two competitors took turns tossing peanuts at the target until the waitress arrived with their food and started passing it out. They then reluctantly put the peanuts back in the bucket.
Morgan's eyes widened as he stared down at the huge sirloin tips on the toddler's plate. "Dang Pretty Boy! Those are bigger than your mouth." He teased. Picking up a steak knife, he made short work of cutting the tips into bite sized pieces. "There, that's better. Now they're Spencer-sized."
"Ha ha" Reid huffed, his lower lip jutting out in a pout.
"Don't let him get to you, Spencer. He's just trying to psych you out to throw you off your game." Emily told the youngster.
"Hey, I wouldn't do that." Derek protested, trying and failing to hide a smirk.
Crossing his arms, Spencer glared at his opponent. "Yes, you would." He countered. "But it's not going to wowt. We'we gonna pay again aftew we eat and I'm going to wipe the floow wif you."
"Eat Spencer" Aaron instructed. "You can beat Morgan at peanut toss later."
The family chuckled at the indignant expression on the muscular man's face. Shaking their heads at the dueling boys, they turned back to their meals. After making sure the feuding parties were eating, the profilers moved on to more important topics. They talked about the coming holidays, ironing out their plans for Thanksgiving as well as discussing what to do about Christmas. By the time they were halfway through their meal, the team had already planned out the next three weeks.
Spencer swallowed the last of his cinnamon apples and glanced around for something else to eat. Spying the dessert menu, he patted Emily's shoulder to get her attention. "Tan I have one of fose?" he asked, pointing to the tiny dessert buckets. "I'm till hungwy."
"I don't know." Prentiss replied. "What do you think, Hotch? Can Spencer have dessert?"
Aaron read over the dessert bucket descriptions before nodding. "One small bucket won't hurt him." He waved their waitress over and ordered a strawberry shortcake bucket for the toddler.
Fants, Hotch!" Spencer exclaimed. Taking the mini bucket from the waitress, he snatched up his spoon and happily dug in.
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The profilers climbed out of their SUVs and quickly walked across the parking lot and into the hotel. Going over to the elevator bank, they pushed the button and stood back to wait.
Yawning, Spencer glanced up at his friends. He loved Hotch and Rossi to death but he was tired of the mother henning both men were doing. He was better and it was time he was given his independence back. But he knew the two older men weren't ready for that. Deciding he needed some help cutting the apron strings, Reid swiftly formulated a plan. Pasting on his most innocent expression, he patted Hotch's chest to get his attention. "Hotch, tan I tay wif Mowgan tonight? Peas?" he asked, flashing the puppy dog eyes that always got him his way.
Gazing down into the wide, hopeful eyes, there was no way Aaron could say no. "I guess that'll be alright." He answered, stepping into the elevator. "As long as Derek doesn't mind getting up early and bringing you to me. You have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Sawyer at 6:30 tomorrow morning."
"I can take him to his appointment." Morgan offered. "You could sleep in that way."
"You don't have to…"
"I know." Derek broke in. "Come on, man. Let me take him for a while."
Aaron debated for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "Alright, I'll bring him a change of clothes." he agreed, handing the toddler to the younger man. "But if he needs anything…"
"I'll call you." Morgan promised. Stepping out of the elevator, he walked down the hall with the rest of the group. Stopping at the door to his room, he turned to the others.
Spencer hugged JJ, Emily, and Dave goodnight before reaching out for Hotch. He smiled as his surrogate father quickly took him from Morgan. "Fant you" he said, wrapping his tiny arms around the older man's neck and kissing his cheek. "Night daddy" he whispered.
Hugging the toddler tight, Aaron kissed Spencer's forehead. "Night son" he softly said before handing the boy back to the younger man. "Take care of him, Morgan." he ordered.
"I will." Morgan assured the worried man. Pulling out his key card, he ran it through the slot in the lock and opened the door. "Night, guys" he called before shutting the door. Setting Spencer on his feet, the profiler went into the bathroom and turned on the tub faucet. He placed a clean towel on the counter and then trudged back into the main room. "Alright Pretty Boy, the water's running." Derek announced. "Go get undressed. Call me when you're ready to get in."
"Otay" Spencer replied. He shuffled into the bathroom and shut the door. Plopping down on the rug, the toddler slowly tugged off his shoes and socks. He pulled off his shirt, pants, and underwear and then hollered for his friend.
Morgan walked into the bathroom with a grin. Scooping up the sleepy toddler, he set the youngster in the tub and then knelt down beside it. "You need any help?" he asked.
"No fants, I tan do it." Reid told the older man.
"Okay, holler when you're ready to get out." Morgan instructed before standing and going out of the room.
Grinning, Spencer picked up the soap. It was going to be a great night!