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- Any new Reid stories?

Previously on Criminal Minds- Wanting to be close by in case the nightmares came back, Aaron settled back in the chair, closed his eyes, and joined his son in dreamland.

Thanksgiving Part 2

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Morgan softly tapped on his boss' bedroom door before opening it and stepping inside.

Placing a finger to his mouth in warning, Aaron stood and crept over to the doorway. "What's up?" he asked.

"Rossi said to tell you our Thanksgiving dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes." Derek related. Peering over Hotch's shoulder, he smiled at the peacefully sleeping Spencer. "Somebody's taking an awfully long siesta. He alright?"

"Yes, I think he's just worn out from all the excitement this morning." Aaron replied.

"No nightmares?" Morgan asked.

"None so far" Hotch answered with a shake of his head. "I'm a little surprised he hasn't had any yet. I was expecting them."

"Maybe Reid's too exhausted" Morgan suggested. "Or it hasn't really hit him yet just how close he came to being run down. I imagine tonight his dreams will be nightmare central."

"His won't be the only one." Aaron muttered.

"True that" Morgan agreed. "Listen, I've gotta go get dressed. I'll stop back by on my way down. If Pretty Boy's not awake by then, I'll let Rossi know to hold off on the feast."

"Thanks Morgan" Aaron said. He slowly closed the door and turned around. He smiled as Reid's eyes fluttered open. The protective father quickly walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Afternoon, Sleepy Head. Did you have a good nap?"

"Uh *yawn* huh" Spencer answered, fisting his eyes. Sitting up, he leaned against his surrogate father. "Is Fantsgiving dinnew weady yet?"

"Almost" Aaron replied. "We've got about fifteen minutes to get dressed and go downstairs."

Spencer nodded. "I till don't see why we have to dwess up." he huffed as he pushed the covers off his legs. "Its jut OWWWW!"

"Spencer, what's wrong?" Hotch questioned, staring down at the boy who was holding his left knee with both hands and whimpering.

"It huwts!" Reid whined.

Aaron frowned. He knew the youngster's skinned knees would probably still sting but they shouldn't hurt; not bad enough to bring tears to his son's eyes. Maybe he missed something when he cleaned it out. "Let me see." He ordered. Taking the injured limb, he gently removed the large, square shaped bandage. The splinter wound looked a little red but no more than expected. He thoroughly examined the hurting knee; his frown deepening when he didn't find a reason for the boy's pain. Deciding he should clean and disinfect the wound just to be on the safe side, Hotch carefully picked up his son. "Come on buddy. Let's go fix this up."

"Otay" Spencer agreed, thinking his dad only meant to put a new bandage on it.

Hotch carried Reid into the bathroom. "Do you need to use the bathroom first?" he asked.

"Yes siw" Spencer replied.

Nodding, Aaron lowered his hurting son to his feet long enough to pull his pajama pants and underwear down and then scooped him back up and settled Reid on the toilet seat. While the little profiler was occupied, the young father gathered the supplies he would need to cleanse and medicate the wound. Once he had everything he needed and Spencer was through, Aaron helped his son finish up and wash his hands before sitting him down on the sink counter. "Alright buddy, let's get this over with." Aaron stated as he picked up the disinfectant.

Seeing the brown bottle in his protector's hand, Spencer shook his head and swiftly covered his knee with his hands. "No!" he hollered. "Not fat! Peas!"

"Sorry son, I don't have a choice. I have to ensure the wound is properly cleaned out. You know that." Aaron softly said. Taking the child's tiny hands in one of his, he gently removed them from the injured knee and set them in the boy's lap. Keeping his hand over Reid's, Hotch swiftly and efficiently cleansed the scraped joint, paying special attention to the spot the splinter had pierced. After the thorough, painful cleaning, he slathered antibiotic cream on the now bloody wound and carefully placed a new bandage over it. Aaron then scooped up his son and cradled the crying boy to his chest. "Shhh, it's alright. It's over now." He soothed, rubbing Spencer's back. He carried the sobbing youngster back into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. Kissing the top of Reid's head, he slowly began to rock.

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It took a while but Spencer finally managed to stop the tears. Sniffling, he pulled away from his protector and peered up at the man. "I'm sowwy. I'm otay now." He apologized, dropping his gaze to his lap in shame. He was an adult. He shouldn't be crying over a stupid skinned knee.

Hotch sighed. Grasping the boy's chin, he raised it until they were eye to eye. "You have nothing to be sorry for, son. Injuries hurt more in that tiny body of yours. It's nothing to be ashamed of or be sorry for. Understand?" Aaron smiled at the timid nod he received. "Good. Now what do you say we get dressed and go downstairs before Morgan decides he's waited long enough and eats it all."

Spencer's eyes widened at that. Morgan might be his best friend and big brother but there was no way he was letting the pig eat his turkey and dressing. Sliding off Hotch's lap, he hollered, "We've gotta get dwessed! Huwwy Hotch! Huwwy!"

Chuckling at his son, Aaron stood and followed Spencer over to the closet to get their suits. It was time to join their family.

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Morgan whistled when Hotch and Reid entered the dining room wearing matching navy blue suits and white button down shirts. "Looking good, kid" he remarked.

"Fants" Spencer replied, tugging on his Stitch themed tie. The thing was so tight he felt like he was being choked.

Noting the movement, Rossi reached over and loosened the colorful tie. "Better?" he asked, patting the youngster's back.

"Yes, fant you" Spencer answered, nodding his head as Hotch sat him in the chair between the two men. The mini agent wiggled around until he was comfortable and then glanced around the table. Rossi, Will, Henry, and Morgan were decked out in suits, too. But while Rossi and Morgan had opted for black suits, Will and Henry were sporting red ones that complimented JJ's red sequined gown. Fran was wearing a plain but beautiful hunter green dress while Garcia had mixed and matched for the occasion. Her pilgrim hat and dress was accented with leather moccasins and dream catcher earrings. Even Emily had dressed for the feast. Her low cut baby blue dress sparkled. Gathered around the table full of food, they looked like the families in the Thanksgiving specials he'd seen as a child. It was wonderful!

"You okay, youngster?" Dave quietly questioned.

Spencer nodded. He gave the man a dimpled grin and then turned his attention to the cluttered table. The enormous selection of delicious looking and smelling foods had his mouth watering. "Fis loots awesome!"

"Thanks, Rossi and I worked most of the day cooking all the traditional Thanksgiving dishes plus a few extras from our families." Will bragged.

"Lite what?" Spencer curiously questioned.

"Well…"

"No offense guys but can you wait to answer Reid's question after we've started eating?" Morgan huffed. "I'm starving!"

"I tawving too!" Henry mimicked, patting his belly.

Dave snickered. "We can't have people starving to death while they're sitting at a table full of food so I guess we better start." He teased. Standing, Rossi turned serious. "When I was a little boy, one of my family's Thanksgiving traditions had to do with the blessing. Instead of the usual grace, we went around the table and each person had to name one thing they were thankful for and they couldn't repeat what someone else had said. While I thought it was an annoying and totally useless tradition then, I've come to appreciate the meaning behind it. It's the one tradition I thought I'd carry on with my family but I never had a family to share it with…until now. So I thought we'd start our first BAU Thanksgiving with the Rossi family tradition."

"Sounds good to me" Aaron stated with a sad smile.

"I'm in." JJ called, followed by the rest of the group.

Dave smiled. "Thank you" he replied, raising his glass. "I'll start. I'm thankful for all of you breathing life back into this old house, making it a home." He looked to Reid.

Copying Rossi, Spencer raised his cup. "I'm fantful fow my family." He quietly said.

Aaron lifted his glass. "I'm thankful for our good friend Gabe, who reminded me of what was most important in life." He stated, looking lovingly down at his son.

"Awwww!" Penelope, JJ, and Emily all squeed.

Rolling his eyes, Morgan gently nudged the tech analyst. "Baby Girl, it's your turn." He whispered.

"Oh, right" Garcia muttered. She reluctantly drew her eyes away from the father and son and picked up her glass. "Let's see, ummm…Oh I know! I'm thankful for being with the people I love for the holidays."

Derek wrapped an arm around his lovely lady as he raised his own cup. "I'm thankful for able to spend Thanksgiving with both my families." He said. "Mom"

Fran lifted her mug. "I'm so very thankful for all of you. You've not only managed to keep my boy safe but you've given him a loving family complete with father figures who aren't afraid to knock some sense into him when need be."

That got a chuckle from the group.

"I'll remember that next time he gets too big for his britches." Rossi remarked, setting off another round of giggling.

Will waited for the laughter to subside and then held up his glass. "I'm thankful to be included in the family. Y'all have made me feel like part of the group from the start. You'll never know how much that means to me."

JJ surreptitiously wiped her eyes before picking up her sweet tea. "I'm thankful for having two loving and understanding families." She stated. Glancing down at her son, she added, "It's your turn, Henry. Tell us what you're thankful for."

Henry grabbed his sippy cup and held it over his head. "I fantful fow Untle Pencew!" he shouted. "And Weid! Him's my best fwiend!"

"You're my friend, too Henry!" Spencer called back, grinning across the table at the little boy who had brought such joy to his life.

Smiling, Emily raised her glass. "Remind me to sit on the other side next year. Being last is hard. All the good ones are already taken." She teased before looking over at Reid. "There is one you guys forgot though and I think it's one of the most important ones. I'm thankful for second chances." She said.

The room was silent for a moment as the family members thought about the previous year's ups and downs. And the agents were surprised that instead of the horrible cases they'd worked, their minds were filled with trips to theme parks and farms and the giggling of a happy, energetic little boy named Spencer. Smiles graced their faces as they recalled his excitement at doing the most normal of childhood things. They hoped the rest of his short second childhood would be nothing but fun.

A loud grumble echoed by a couple of softer growls brought the family out of their musings. Sniggering, they looked at the two tiny and one not so tiny culprits.

"Can we please eat now?" Morgan asked. "My stomach can't wait much longer. Right, kid?"

Spencer nodded. "My tummy's wumbling lite Pooh Beaw's." he announced.

"Well then, we'd better feed it." Dave said, ruffling the youngster's hair. "Dig in everybody!"

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After a fun and filling supper, the family retired to the living room. Spying several boxes in one corner, Spencer immediately headed over to investigate. He went to one of the shorter containers and opened it, gasping at the collection of Christmas ornaments that filled it. "What's fis?" he asked.

"Those are the special ornaments for the Christmas tree we're going to set up." Dave responded.

"Special?" Fran questioned.

"Yes, special" Penelope answered, walking over to the box. "Every year since I've been with the BAU, I've gotten a special ornament for each member of my team. I always pick something that reminds me of that person, like the Enterprise for Spencer and Chester Cheetah for JJ." She explained. "Rossi caught me out shopping for them his first year back and he had me get a second ornament for him."

All eyes snapped to Rossi.

"What?" he demanded, glaring at the group. "It's a good way to remember you guys and fill up my tree."

"I lite it." Spencer said as he picked up the Enterprise box and looked it over.

"Me too. It's a wonderful idea, Pen." Emily seconded.

"Haley did the same thing." Aaron confided. "Every year she'd go out and buy a new ornament for Jack. She said the ornaments would remind us of his childhood once he was grown."

"She's right. I can tell you the story or the feelings behind every ornament in that box." Garcia told the group.

Spencer toddled over to Hotch and tugged on his pants leg. "Tan we put fese on the twee tonight?" he inquired, holding up his spaceship ornament.

"We're planning on it." Rossi answered.

"Weally?" Reid exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

"Really" Dave replied. Standing up, he started for the huge, box off to one side. "Come on guys! Let's get this tree up so the rug rats can decorate it!"

Rossi dumped the box out and the family got busy. They sorted the branches by the colors on the tips and then assembled the trunk. Once that was complete, the group worked together to set the branches in and move them around to make the tree look fuller. In no time their Christmas tree was standing tall and proud.

Spencer waited for the men to finish stringing the lights and then stepped up to the tree. He studied the tree from various angles before placing his Enterprise on one of the lower branches.

Grinning, Henry grabbed a Grinch ornament and with his mother's help hung it on the tree.

The grown-ups stood back and watched as the two boys raced from the box to the tree and back hanging ornaments. When the lower branches were completely covered, Aaron and Will went over to help. They lifted the excited youngsters up so they could hang the ornaments a little higher.

With shouts of "Cool!" and "Loot at fis one!" Spencer and Henry took the ornaments Garcia handed them and swiftly hung them on the tree. Giggling, they ran back and forth until the ornament box was empty.

In minutes their tree was filled with ornaments of every size, shape, and description. It might not have been a real tree and the ornaments might have been jumbled in three or four spots instead of evenly spread out but it was the most beautiful tree any of them had ever seen.

Reid plopped down on the floor and stared up at the tree; his very first family Christmas tree. It was absolutely stunning. He'd seen Christmas trees before but he'd never seen anything like this one. Yawning, Spencer laid down on his side. His eyelids shut and then popped open again. Blinking, the little boy fought to keep his heavy lidded eyes open but it was no use. His eyes slid shut and he drifted off, dreaming of the wonderful Christmas to come.

AN- Okay, I need to ask. Are you getting bored? Do I need to rush on to New Year's Day or keep the same pace? Any special you'd like to see?