Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. Feel free to read and review, but please don't copy.
AN- All the places and some of the people in this chapter are real. Paul Anderson If anyone knows of any little Reid or adult Reid stories(not romance or slash) out there, please PM them to me. I have a very limited amount of time to read and I'm ending up spending that searching for one. I know about 'He Never Listens' by Gibbsgirlie08, 'Saved from the Darkness' by Lostlives12 and 'A Tangled Web' parts 1 & 2 by Wtiger5 and I love all of them but I need more.
To Anon: Morgan and JJ never said Reid didn't want Gideon to reunite with his son or that he had bitter feelings about it. He would never feel that way. They merely said he was worried that when and if it happened, he would lose his father figure: A very believable feeling considering how close he was to Gideon.
Previously on Criminal Minds- Pulling back the covers, he carefully slid into bed beside Spencer. Aaron smiled as the boy immediately snuggled into his side. Wrapping an arm around his son, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
CM
"Breakfast is served!" Morgan announced as he strolled through the doorway carrying several food filled plates. He took his load to the counter and passed out the food before tromping over to the bed and taking a seat beside the littlest profiler. "And something special for the waffle monster." He added, setting a paper plate in front of the boy.
Spencer's eyes turned saucer wide as he stared at the syrup covered waffle that filled his plate. "Fants, Morgan!" he hollered, spearing a pre-cut piece and popping it into his mouth.
"I got you something too, Sweetness." Garcia stated, waving a handful of pamphlets in front of his face before dropping them onto the bed. "While you're eating, you can look through these and find a good place for us to explore."
"Otay" Reid replied around his mouthful of waffle. The toddler spread the flyers out and carefully studied each one as he slowly ate his breakfast. Using his napkin to avoid getting the papers sticky, he sorted them into two sets. The little boy then scrutinized the ones in the smaller group once more. Spencer bit his bottom lip while he glanced between two brightly colored pamphlets. The indecision was clear on his face as he debated which of the two his family would enjoy the most. After much thought and deliberation, Reid finally made his decision. Popping the last bite of waffle into his mouth, he slid off the bed and rushed into the bathroom to wash his hands. Once that task had been accomplished, the youngster ran back into the main room. He snatched the two pamphlets off the bed and raced over to the couch. "Tan we go see fese?" he hopefully asked.
Aaron looked down at the first pamphlet and frowned. "A museum, Spencer?" he questioned. "I don't think…"
"Wait a minute! Isn't that picture from the 'Band of Brothers' movie?" Will questioned, taking the pamphlet out of Hotch's hand.
"It is." Rossi agreed. "What's a Hollywood movie picture doing on a local museum pamphlet?"
Will quickly read through the information on the flyer. "It says The Currahee(pronounced ker-u-he) Military Museum is dedicated to all the troops that trained at Camp Toccoa during World War II and that one of those regiments was the E Company that the book and the movie "Band of Brothers" was about. The museum has a lot of stuff from WWII including one of the stables from England that the 506's Able and Easy companies stayed in after they went overseas."
"A stable? How the he-ck did they get that over here?" Morgan asked.
"The pamphlet says they disassembled it in England, shipped it, and then reassembled it at the museum." Will explained.
"Sounds good to me. I say we go." Dave said as he stood and threw his trash away.
"Me too" Derek seconded. "That movie was great! I'd love to see where the real regiment trained."
Hotch nodded. "That's four yeses for the museum." He stated. "Does anyone have an objection to going or is it okay with everyone?"
JJ's "I'm good." Came at the same time as Emily and Pen's "I'm in!"
"Alright then, go back to your rooms and get ready. We leave in ten." Aaron decreed.
CM
Morgan got out of the SUV and stretched. "Man, I hate riding in a truck." He grumbled, rubbing the ache out of his stiff neck.
"What's a matter, Morgan? Getting old?" Rossi teased.
"You'd know." Derek tossed back with a smirk.
"Alright grumpy old men that's enough. We're here to enjoy ourselves not listen to the two of you whine." Prentiss playfully scolded as the group walked up to the brightly colored building.
"Old? I'm not old." Morgan groused, glaring at the raven haired profiler.
"My Honey Bun's telling the truth. He's not old. My man's young and strong and absolutely gorgeous." Garcia defended. She walked up to said man and hooked an arm around his. "Right, Stud Muffin?"
Blushing, Derek quickly looked away from his biggest fan, gazing at the building instead. "Hey, isn't this an old train station?" he deflected. "Why'd they put the museum here?"
"The soldiers tame hewe by twain. When fey got to fis tation, fey had to walt to the tamp." Spencer supplied from his spot on Hotch's shoulders.
"Oh" Morgan remarked as he followed the group inside the old depot. After paying their admission, the family stepped into the first room of the museum. They went down the ramp and over to the wall where an autographed poster from "Band of Brothers" hung alongside a poster of some of the real men from the E Company. Glancing at the picture, Derek was shocked to see…"Isn't that the trickster?" he asked, pointing to one of the men in the movie poster.
Aaron studied the picture carefully for a moment before nodding. "It certainly does look like him." He agreed, setting Spencer on the floor beside him.
"But it can't be, right?" Will inquired.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Dave warned. "This is just the kind of stunt I'd expect from him, I mean from it."
"Guys, can we not think about him right now." Penelope huffed. "We have a free day and I'd like to make it a happy one."
"Sure Baby Girl" Morgan replied, wrapping an arm around the blond's shoulders and walking away from the posters. "One happy day coming right up."
Taking their cue from the couple, the group left to explore the rest of the museum. They slowly made their way through the rooms full of war memorabilia. Stopping in the room with the stable, the family walked around it before going inside. As they walked through the small enclosure, Spencer rattled off facts about the living conditions of the soldiers as well as everything else he knew about the war.
Finishing their tour of the stable, they strolled into the next room. Along the closest wall they were surprised to find photos, posters, and even an elaborate costume belonging to a world famous weight lifter. "Loot! It's Paul Andewson!" Spencer shouted, pressing his face against the glass cabinet filled with some of his things. "Did you know fat he lifted six fousand, two hundwed, seventy pounds in the batlift(backlift)? And in squat he lifted twelve hundwed, six pounds and he also…"
"We get the picture, kiddo." Aaron interrupted, ruffling the boy's hair.
"Sowwy" Reid apologized.
"No harm, no foul kid" Morgan told him as he led the youngster to the next exhibit; a famous snake oil salesman.
After learning more than they ever wanted to know about snake oil and the men that sold it, the family moved on to the gift shop. The ladies picked up a couple of cookbooks while the men scored Camp Toccoa hoodies. The group paid for their items and then made their way back to their vehicles.
Once everyone was settled in and buckled up, they set off for their next destination. Several minutes into the drive, Aaron glanced into the rearview mirror and frowned. "What's the matter, Spencer?" he asked the unhappy boy.
"Nofing" Reid quickly replied, keeping his eyes on the cars whizzing by. "I jut wish we tould have seen the mountain."
"We can still do that." Aaron told his charge. Spotting a convenience store, he signaled and turned into the parking lot. He put the SUV in park and then climbed out of the vehicle. "I'll be right back."
Hotch stepped into the store and walked straight to the counter. "Excuse me, sir" he called, garnering the clerk's attention. "I'm looking for Currahee Mountain. Could you tell me how to get there?"
The teenage store clerk rolled his eyes. "Sure man, see, here's what you do. First you walk outside. Then turn and look to your right and there's the mountain. Want me to write it down for you?" the smart-a$$ed teen said.
"I think I can manage it." Hotch coldly answered, leveling a glare that had the younger man stepping back. Smirking, the BAU leader strode out of the store. He climbed back into the SUV and turned to the toddler in the backseat. "Spencer, do you see that mountain across the highway?" he asked.
"Yes siw" Spencer replied.
"That's Currahee Mountain" Aaron informed the boy.
"Tool" Reid whispered, staring at the enormous mountain.
"Yeah, cool" Aaron agreed as he buckled himself back in and backed out of the parking space. "Would you like a closer look?"
"Yes" Spencer enthusiastically responded.
"Well then, let's go!" Hotch exclaimed. Putting the SUV in drive, he steered out of the parking lot on onto the highway. He waited for the light to turn green and then drove across the interstate. Aaron kept his speed slow as he searched the left side of the road for a way to the mountain. After about five miles, he saw a circle of what looked like granite headstones. The BAU leader turned onto the dirt road beside the memorial, pulled over to the side, and put the SUV in park. "Let's see what this is." He suggested as he climbed out of the vehicle.
Spencer swiftly unfastened the straps securing him and slid out of his seat. As soon as his door opened, he jumped out of the truck and hurried over to the monuments with Morgan. Walking up to the largest stone, the little boy read the plaque. "It's a 'mowial to all the twoops." He informed the others. Fascinated, Reid tottled from one monument to another, absorbing the information on each one. Finishing his circuit at the big monument where his friends were gathered, he looked up at them and smiled. "Otay, we tan go now. I'm fwough.(through)"
"You heard the kid. Head'em up and move'em out!" Morgan called.
Spencer slapped a hand on his face. "Oh man! JJ, he's doing fat towboy song again!" he grumbled before gazing hopefully over at the blond. "Mowgan's widing with you guys, wight?"
"Sorry, Spence, there's no way Morgan's getting in the truck with us like that. He'd have Henry singing it before we even hit the interstate and you know what Henry's like when he learns a new song." JJ replied. "I'm afraid you're stuck with him."
Covering his ears to drown out Morgan's "Rawhide" rendition, Spencer looked to his next defense; Hotch. "Hotch, mate him top." He whined.
"He'll stop or I'll leave him here." Aaron assured the youngster.
"You wouldn't dare." Morgan challenged before continuing his one man sing-a-long.
"Try me." Hotch answered, giving the younger man a look that let him know Aaron was dead serious.
"I wouldn't push him, Morgan unless you want to sit here waiting for the next stagecoach to come through." Emily advised.
Derek shook his head. "You guys just don't know good music when you hear it." he muttered.
"It's not the song we have a problem with." Dave said as he climbed into the truck.
"W-what?" Morgan stammered. "You cannot be talking about my singing. I'm a great singer just ask Pretty Boy. He'll tell you."
"Mowgan's wight. He tan sing." Reid agreed as he was strapped into his seat.
"See? See?" Derek gloated before deflating as Spencer added, "jut not in tune." Huffing, Morgan dropped onto the passenger seat and crossed his arms. "You guys are mean." He groused.
Spencer climbed into the truck and patted his friend's knee. "Don't tate it so hawd, Mowgan. It's not fat bad." he comforted before breaking into an impish grin. "You don't sing any wowse fan Hotch and Wossi."
Aaron and Dave's mouths dropped open in shock as the rest of the family burst out laughing. The two men glared at the little boy who was giggling like mad. They tried to keep the stern expressions but that was impossible when their youngest was happy. Giving up all pretense of being angry, the profilers joined in the laughter.
CM
About a half an hour later the convoy crossed the lanes of traffic and pulled into the gravel parking lot of a small roadside attraction. Climbing out of their vehicles, the group took a moment to look around. A large wooden store building stood in the middle of the grounds with a smaller building off to one side. The structures, which were connected by several rope bridges, had small red houses on top of their grass roofs and standing on those roofs as well as the bridges were several goats.
"Huh" Emily said as she gawked at the animals. "I guess we know why it's called Goats on a Roof now."
Rolling his eyes at his friend's remark, an excited Reid grabbed Hotch's hand and started pulling him towards a covered enclosure where a bicycle stood. "Tome on! Tome on!" he urged. "We've gotta feed the goats!"
"I'm coming." Aaron assured the boy. He quickened his pace and the two soon made it to their destination. Seeing the food machine, the father pulled some change out of his pocket and handed it to Spencer.
Reid swiftly put the coins in the machine and scraped out a handful of food pellets. He then went around to the front of the bike where a conveyor belt type mechanism was. The little boy got up on his tip toes and dropped the pellets into the cup at the bottom of the strange machine before tottling over to Hotch. "Up, peas" he nicely commanded.
Hotch lifted the toddler up and set him on the bicycle seat. "There you go." He said, holding onto Reid so he wouldn't fall off and get hurt.
Spencer looked down at his feet dangling far above the pedals and sighed. "I tan't weach." He mumbled forlornly. Cocking his head slightly to one side, he rubbed his chin in thought. Suddenly smiling, he snapped his fingers. "I've got it! Hotch, help me get down." He demanded.
Curious as to the boy's solution, Aaron picked the youngster up and set him on his feet.
"Henwy, tome help!" Spencer hollered, waving frantically at his godson. He knelt down on one side of the bike and grabbed the pedal. He waited for Henry to get to the other side of the bicycle before beginning. "Henwy, hold the pedal lite fis." He instructed. "Now help me push the pedals so we tan feed the goats." With Henry, Will, and Spencer working together they managed to send the cup of food up to the roof where the goats swiftly gobbled it up.
"Do again!" Henry shouted as he jumped up and down.
"Yeah!" Spencer loudly answered. Borrowing another quarter from Hotch, he got another handful of pellets and set them in the cup that Will had wheeled back down. The two boys then sent the cup back up to the goats.
"Excuse me ma'am" a young woman called from the porch of the smaller building. The attraction employee twirled the end of her ponytail as she approached the family. "I don't mean to intrude but I thought your little ones might like to go on the other side of the store. There's a goat pen there with some baby goats. It'll be easier for them to feed them."
"They'll like that." JJ said. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Oh, and don't forget to bring them inside when you finish. They can mine for gems and sample our fudge and other goodies." Ashley, the employee, informed her.
"We'll do that." Emily replied before going to the two toddlers. "Hey boys, that nice lady over there said that there are baby goats in a pen on the other side of the building. Wanna go feed them?"
"Yes!" Spencer and Henry shouted, dancing around the woman.
"Alright, come with me." Prentiss instructed. Taking the boys by the hand, she led the group across the gravel drive and past the large store. Once they turned the corner, she released her charges. Watching the two race to the chain link fence, she wished the morning could last forever.
CM
After feeding the goats, gem mining, and visiting the gift shop, the family got back into their vehicles and began the ride back to Franklin. Knowing the little ones were getting sleepy, they stopped at the first fast food establishment they came to. They pulled into the DQ lot and parked in the closest spot they could find.
Aaron climbed out of his seat and opened the back door. He undid the straps on the car seat and picked up Spencer along with his newest friend, a plush goat. Settling the boy on his hip, he strode into the restaurant. The father gave Rossi his and Reid's order before taking the youngster to the bathroom to wash his hands. He knew they had washed them at the attraction but he wanted to make sure the boy's hands were clean. The last thing Spencer needed was to get sick again. So, he held Reid and helped him thoroughly cleanse his hands. That task completed, the two dried their hands and returned to the table.
"Lunchtime!" Rossi said, setting his tray on the table. He swiftly passed out the plates before setting the tray on the empty table beside them. "Dig in guys. It's a long trip back."
Morgan took a big bite of his burger. Wanting to keep the littlest profiler's mind off the impending funeral home visitation, he asked, "So, what's the plan for the afternoon?"
"Ewww Mowgan, tose youw mouth. I don't wanna see youw food." Spencer complained, covering his eyes with his hand.
"Derek, manners" Hotch warned, motioning towards Henry.
"Sorry" Morgan apologized after he'd swallowed his mouthful. "So, do we have something special planned or are we just winging it?"
"Oh, we have something special planned alright. We're going to Cherokee for the afternoon!" Garcia excitedly announced.
"What is there to do?" Will asked.
"Fey *yawn* fey have a tasino." Spencer answered, sleepily fisting his eyes. "We tould go fewe."
"We are not going to a casino, Spencer." Aaron told the boy.
"But I'm not ban- *yawn* -ed fwom fis one." Reid argued as he blinked his eyes back open.
"Neverless, we will not be visiting the casino. You'll just have to find another way to pass the time. Understood?" Hotch replied. Getting no reply, he added, "I said do you understand." When he still didn't get a response, he looked down at the stubborn boy. He smiled as he gazed at his son fast asleep with a half eaten French fry sticking out of his mouth. Aaron gently picked the toddler up and settled him against his chest. Turning back to his meal, he started devouring what was left of his food. He needed to get Spencer back to the hotel and tucked into bed.
AN- Yes, the trickster(I borrowed from Supernatural) was in Band of Brothers. He played Sgt. Warren 'Skip' Muck. He's also the Pepsi Max driver.