Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. Feel free to read and review, but please don't copy.
Previously on Criminal Minds- "You can sleep with us tonight." Will said, smiling as Spencer snuggled into his side. He rubbed the little boy's back until the youngster fell back asleep. Leaving his arm wrapped around the youngster, Will closed his eyes. He was asleep in seconds.
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Spencer and JJ stepped off the elevator and wearily trudged across the hallway and into the almost deserted BAU bullpen. The media liaison sighed. She had hoped that at least Emily would be there to watch over Reid as he worked. Hoping to stall for time, JJ slowly walked the tiny profiler to his desk, settled him in his chair, and began rearranging the clutter on his desk.
"JJ, what awe you doing?" Spencer curiously asked.
"Oh, I'm, uhh, I'm just trying to make sure everything you need is within reach." The blond fibbed. "There, that's better. Now you're ready to work."
"Not quite" Prentiss called as she strode through the glass doors. She held up the cardboard cup carrier with three steaming cups. "Reid's missing one very important item."
"Toffee!" Spencer yelled, leaping out of his chair and racing over to the woman.
Emily rolled her eyes at the boy who was practically dancing around her. "Sorry Sweetness, no coffee for you. Don't give me that look Mister. You know very well you can't have coffee. Hotch would skin me alive, not to mention the fact that I'd be the one dealing with your coffee high." She said. When the pout remained on the youngster's face, she sadly shook her head. "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to give this cup of hot chocolate to Anderson since you don't want it. It's a shame too. They added extra chocolate and whipped cream to this one."
"E,extwa cho'late?" Spencer repeated.
Emily nodded. "And marshmallows" she added. "You know those mini ones. But since you don't want it…"
"I want it! I want it!" Spencer hollered, jumping up and down.
"I don't know" Prentiss hedged. "I'm not sure…"
"Quit teasing him, Em" JJ scolded. She discretely nodded at the little boy who had suddenly gone still.
"Hey come on kiddo! I was just fooling with you. I wouldn't give your hot chocolate away." Emily assured the youngster. She handed Reid the smallest of the three cups.
"Fant you Em'ly" Spencer sweetly said, giving his friend a dimpled grin. Holding the cup with both hands, he carefully raised it to his lips and took a tiny sip. "Mmmmmm, fis is good!"
"What's good?" Garcia asked as she breezed into the bullpen.
"Gawcia!" Spencer yelled. He set his cup of hot chocolate on the closest desk before running over and jumping into the tech analyst's open arms. "How's Mowgan? Is he feeling bettew? Tan I go see him?"
"Hold on Sweet Cheeks! One question at a time" Penelope lightly admonished. "Now first off, my Ralphing Romeo was still paying homage to his porcelain throne when I left. I don't think he managed more than…"
"Dr. Reid?!" a voice gasped from behind the profilers. "What? What are you doing?!"
Spinning around, JJ and Emily came face to face with a gawking Anderson. "Oh, ummm, ummm, you see" JJ stammered.
"Dr. Reid was just helping me practice for this new play I'm performing in next month." Garcia smoothly lied, setting the little boy on his feet.
Anderson scratched his head in confusion as he tried to make sense of the bubbly woman's explanation. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, he shakily nodded. "Oh, okay" he stated, his face still showing his confusion. "I guess I'll leave you to it then." The agent walked around the group, staying as far away from them as he could. When he got to the glass doors, Anderson stopped and turned back to the profilers. "One piece of advice: practice somewhere a little more private. The director's been roaming the halls since Strauss went out on sick leave. You wouldn't want him to catch you doing that."
Prentiss burst out laughing the moment the doors shut behind Anderson. "Th-that was too, too goo-good!" she cackled.
"Yeah, fat was tinda fun-funny." Spencer agreed with a giggle.
"Yes, it was." JJ seconded. "But it won't be if the director walked in on you in Garcia's arms."
"Or if we're standing here talking instead of working." Penelope added with a shudder. "I'm gonna go to my office now."
JJ sighed as she watched Garcia scurry off. "I think Pen's got the right idea. We should get to work." She told the others.
"Yeah okay" Prentiss agreed. She held out her hand. "Come on Handsome. Let's start wading through the paperwork."
"Otay" Spencer replied. Taking her hand, he walked her back to her desk. He grabbed his hot chocolate, shuffled over to his desk, and after putting his cup down, climbed into his chair. Scooping his hot chocolate back up, Reid took a sip before flipping open the first folder of the day and getting to work.
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Garcia hurried past the shopping carts and the door greeter and into the store. "I won't be long, Em. I've just gotta get one thing." She called over her shoulder. "Why don't you three go check out the toy section? I'll come find you when I'm done."
"Okay Pen" Prentiss answered. "Just make it fast. Spencer's not going to last long."
"Will do!" Penelope hollered before disappearing down an aisle.
JJ sighed. "Come on Spence. We might as well go find the toys." She muttered.
"Otay" Reid agreed, grinning happily. Taking his friends' hands, he tottled between them as they made their way through the giant chain store. After several minutes of searching, they finally turned a corner and ran into the toy section. The group started down the first toy aisle, slowing their pace a little to give the tiny profiler time to take everything in. "Wow!" he whispered, staring at row after row of stuffed animals. "Loot at all the aminals!"
"Pretty cool huh kiddo?" Emily voiced, ruffling the boy's hair.
"Yeah" Spencer breathed out.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Go look." JJ instructed, giving the youngster a gentle push towards the plushie shelves.
Spencer nervously glanced back at his friends.
"Go on Handsome. We'll be right here." Emily prodded.
"O-otay" Spencer replied. He gazed at the two women for a moment more before going over to the stuffed animals.
Prentiss watched the littlest agent study the multitude of colorful plushies. "So, how's Mr. I'm Fine really doing?" she asked.
"Not good." JJ responded, shaking her head. "He had nightmares of something happening to Hotch and Rossi all night. Either that man from Disney killed them or their plane went down. One dream even had a bomb blowing up the courthouse."
"Gideon's death really hit him hard." Emily observed. "And it seems to have brought up his abandonment issues."
"Yes it has." Garcia agreed as she walked up behind the two. "And Hotch and Rossi leaving was the last thing my Sweet Baby needed. He needs his family around him not all the way across the country."
"It's not like they wanted to leave. They didn't have a choice." Prentiss pointed out.
"I know but…"
"Looks like somebody found a new friend." JJ broke in, gesturing to Reid who was standing on his tiptoes attempting to reach an animal on one of the higher shelves. Smiling, she walked over to the little boy. "Do you need some help?"
Spencer startled. He'd been so focused on getting his prize he hadn't heard his friend come up. Ceasing his quest, he turned and looked up at the blond. "Ummm, no fants. I was jut looting." He told her.
"Riiight and Morgan's a male model" JJ scoffed. She scooped the boy up and stepped closer to the shelf. "Get the one you want."
"You don't have to…"
"Don't argue, Spence. Just get it so we can go." The media liaison directed.
"And get one for Henry while you're up there." Garcia added.
"Otay" Spencer agreed. Reaching up to the top shelf, he pulled two medium sized sea turtles out of the middle of the pile. "I got it."
"Ooooo! Crush! I loved him in that movie!" Garcia gushed as they started for the checkout.
"Movie? What movie?" Reid curiously asked.
Penelope stopped in her tracks. "You haven't seen Finding Nemo?!" she gasped. "Sweet Pea, you and I have got to have a movie day."
Spencer smiled, remembering the Charlie Brown cartoons she'd introduced him to at Halloween. "I'd lite fat." He replied.
"It's a date then. Saturday, you and I are gonna pop some popcorn and watch the best of Disney." Garcia exclaimed.
"Yes!" Reid cheered. He couldn't wait for the weekend!
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Spencer yawned as he shuffled into Garcia's lair. He stumbled over to his pallet and wearily dropped onto it. "Night, Gaw *yawn* cia" he softly said.
"Hold up there, Handsome" Penelope called. Grabbing a small plastic bag, she hurried over to the tired youngster. She knelt down beside her charge and nervously cleared her throat. "Sweetie, I know you've been having some pretty bad nightmares lately and that some of them have been horrible enough that you've woken up screaming. Since the director's been stalking the halls, I thought you might need something to keep the director from hearing you. Now, I know you're probably not going to like this at first but well, here." She handed the bag to the intrigued boy.
Spencer reached into the bag and pulled out; "A pac'fiew?" he growled. "I'm too big fow a pac'fiew."
"I know Sweetness but you need something to help and I think a pacifier just might be the thing." Garcia explained.
"But Gawcia" Spencer whined.
"Baby, just try it. Please? For me?" Penelope begged.
Spencer glanced from the pacifier to his friend and sighed. "Otay" he conceded. He laid back down, pulled his Ewok to his chest, and popped the pacifier into his mouth. Closing his eyes, he snuggled down into the blanket and dropped off to sleep.