[A/N: Thank you to everyone who read or left a review. The site shows nobody's reading, but I'm in hopes it's wrong. I've enjoyed posting this story, and I'm working on another which isn't ready to post yet. Follow me if you're interested. I don't own Criminal Minds. I only borrow.]

…

Chapter 25 – Epilogue

"You two act like I'm dyin'," Jack complained as they loaded Aaron's old SUV for him to take to UVA. He was off to college, and neither of his dads was taking it well.

The road to getting to that moment in time had been filled with fights, pain, sorrow, uncertainty, but mostly love, joy, gratitude, and family. That was the most important part of their journey. They were a family.

Aaron and Spencer had married a year after Spencer was shot and the Commonwealth of Virginia had legalized same-sex marriage. It was a regular day at work, the two of them sharing lunch in Hotch's office. Spencer nervously handed Aaron a cupcake with a platinum ring on top, ala Garcia. He sunk to his good knee and proposed, and when Aaron started to cry, he was worried he'd made a grave miscalculation of the situation.

"Look, we don't have to get married. If you'd rather…" Spencer began back-tracking.

"No! I want to get married. I just never imagined you'd propose to me. I've been trying to concoct the perfect proposal, and I always feel like I'm not doing you justice. Thank you for taking that burden off my shoulders. I've never been so happy in my life," Aaron told him. The wedding wasn't too long in the planning, and it was simple and full of love and family.

They still lived in their white brick fairytale home where they raised Jack to be a good kid. They had their fair share of parenting moments…Jack sneaking out, getting busted with pot, fake IDs, broken hearts…but the three of them came out of it on the better side.

Jack had a soccer scholarship to UVA, and his grades were excellent. Both men were proud of him. Both men would miss him, but it was the natural cycle of life. Things changed, and they'd learned to roll with the punches.

Aaron was promoted to Deputy Director three years after he was appointed Section Chief. John Carpenter had taken over as Director when the job became available, and it was at that time Aaron learned John Carpenter had been Spencer's NA sponsor. John told him about the relationship, because Spencer never said a word regarding the identity of his sponsor. He carried the confidentiality of the support group in his heart. He'd never come in on a fellow LEO in recovery like himself. It was another thing Aaron respected about him. He had more integrity than anyone Aaron had ever met.

"Yes, well, you're leaving the nest, Jack, and it's going to be quiet around here without you," Spencer told his adopted son.

The adoption had taken place when Jack was thirteen. Aaron had a health scare by way of a benign tumor on his left kidney, so they finally had the discussion about what would happen to Jack if something happened to Aaron. They decided on adoption after a discussion with Jack, and Garcia had planned a huge party when it was final. She was still the event coordinator in the group, although, she worked from home because she had Nicky and little Franny to care for.

Morgan had finally straightened out his act enough to propose to Garcia…well, he proposed eleven times over their time together, but number twelve finally stuck. The wedding was colorful, to say the least, but as Spencer walked Prentiss down the aisle as the best man and maid of honor, they just laughed at the kaleidoscope of color into which they'd joked they'd fallen. Franny was born ten-months to the day after the wedding. Garcia held out on the man until she got him down the aisle, and they'd been very happy to welcome a baby girl into their home.

"Aw…I'm sure you two can find something to do while I'm gone," Jack teased as he loaded his last bin of stuff in the back of the older SUV.

"Of course we can. Naked Saturdays are something I've always wanted to try," Aaron stated as he carried out a large, wrapped box and placed it in the back of the SUV.

Spencer laughed. Over the years, Aaron had lightened up considerably, and they'd grabbed every bit of happiness they could for themselves. Their jobs were serious, but they held onto their senses of humor and had many cherished memories of midnight ice cream runs and sick days the three of them had taken over the years to go do something as a family when life was just too busy at the FBI and they needed to regroup.

"God, you two are so gross. Anyway, I have to get on the road to pick up Anna. Aunt Jess is going to insist she repack the truck, and I wanna get to Charlottesville before five. Maybe do me a favor and call her? Ask her to not hold us up. I talked to a teammate at training camp, and he said parking sucks," Jack told them.

"I still don't know why you won't allow us to go down and help you set up your stuff," Aaron complained. It had been an argument, but Spencer had sided with Jack.

"Babe, we've talked it to death. I know you want to make sure he gets settled, but it's time to cut the apron strings. Anna's not letting Jess or Chelsea go either. It's time for them to learn to be self-sufficient. If he needs us, he'll call, right?" Spencer asked as he turned to Jack, almost not recognizing the handsome young man standing before him, looking very much like a younger version of the love of Spencer's life.

Just as Jack was about to respond, a black SUV pulled up in front of the house. Dave and Elise Rossi hopped out, walking toward the house, each with a box in their hands. "Sorry we're late, but we had to drop Em at the airport for that custodial in Nashville. Jack, it seems you're ready to go," Dave Rossi stated as he placed his hand on the shoulder of his daughter, Elise Prentiss Rossi.

"How's my goddaughter?" Aaron asked as he opened his arms for the beautiful eleven-year-old daughter of Emily Prentiss and David Rossi. They'd chosen not to marry, but they were still together. Both still wearing gold bands on their fingers with a Latin inscription only Reid understood. Reid had never shared the words with Aaron, but he'd assured him it was a beautiful sentiment.

Emily was still at the Bureau but no longer in the BAU. She was a criminology trainer and she loved it, though she still jumped in when old cases came up for review at parole time. The Nashville case had been one that had stuck with her, so she'd approached Aaron to allow her to make the visit. He agreed, which was why she wasn't there to give Jack a hug.

"I'm fine, Uncle Aaron. These are Aunt Penny's cookies for you and Uncle Spence. The other box is for Jack to take with him. Mommy and I made them this morning before she had to leave," Elise told them.

Jack took the box from Dave and gave him a hug. "Look out for these two, will you? I'm pretty sure they're going to go into some sort of mourning period. I know Dad's busy at the Bureau, but Pop's on sabbatical writing that book. Don't let him mope around, Uncle Dave. You remember how he was when Grandma Dianna passed," Jack whispered.

They all remembered how Spencer had suffered when his mother died. She'd come to their small wedding, and she'd been happy to be there. She and Jack had bonded, and every night while she was visiting, she'd lecture Jack regarding fifteenth century literature. He'd sit and listen to her go on as long as Aaron and Spencer would allow, and the day before she left to return to Nevada, she'd taken Jack aside while his fathers were at work and Jess and Chelsea were waiting in the kitchen to take him and Anna to the zoo after Dianna left.

"I need a favor from you, Grandson. You know how much your dad, Aaron, loves you? Well, that's how much I love my little boy, Spencer. One of these days, I'm not going to be able to be here to take care of him, but I hope you'll step into my place and make sure he eats, gets plenty of rest, and has a happy life. Can you do that for me?" she'd asked the boy who was much too young to be saddled with that responsibility.

"S-Sure, Grandma," he promised.

When Dianna returned to the sanitarium, she stopped taking her meds, unknown to the staff, and saved up a week's worth of them, taking them all at once. When they found her body in her room, they found a simple note.

"Spencer, my darling boy,

You're in good hands. I know you'll be well cared for. I can finally get some rest without having to worry about clawing out someone's eyes.

Jack and Aaron will take good care of you…better than I was ever able to do.

I love you so much,

Mom"

Dark days ensued, but they got through them as a family, just like everything they'd ever gone through. They loved each other harder through the bad times.

"Of course, I won't let that happen, Jack. Watch the ladies. I held out for fifty years before I let myself get trapped," Dave joked.

Elise laughed her lilting laugh. "You're full of it, Daddy. You were married three times before Mommy and I roped you in." They all joined her in the laughter. It felt good to laugh.

Jack hugged all of them and finally got into the SUV, getting on the road an hour later than he wanted. On his way to pick up his cousin, Anna, he made one last stop to see his best friend, Henry LaMontagne. Jack knew the younger boy was upset, and he intended to make sure Henry knew Jack wasn't going to leave him behind.

He pulled into the driveway, seeing Henry kicking the soccer ball against the net Will and JJ had for him in the side yard. Jack hopped out and walked over, diving in front of the goal to deflect the ball before Henry knew he was there. He felt a scrape on his side and saw he'd ripped his shirt on a sprinkler. "Fuck," he moaned as Henry ran up.

"What the hell were you doin'?" Henry LaMontagne asked, a little bit of his father's Cajun draw evident in his voice. He was five-ten, white-blond haired and blue eyed. He was definitely a mix of his mother and father.

"I stopped by to say good-bye. I wanted to see you. Nothing changes between us, H. You're still my best friend," Jack told him as Henry helped him up from the grass.

"Let's go inside and bandage it. Momma and Daddy are shoppin'," Henry explained.

The two went into the house where Henry directed Jack to sit at the counter in the kitchen. "Where's Claire?" Jack asked as Henry went to the hall closet to retrieve the first-aid kit.

"Down the street with Maddy Vance. Shirt off, Hotchner," the younger ordered.

Jack did as he was told. When he felt a cold sting at his side, he hissed. "You're fine. You've had worse, Hotch. So, are you gonna e-mail me, or do you just put me away like all of your other childhood toys?" Henry asked.

"Fuck, that hurts," Jack snapped.

"Not as much as my heart hurts," Henry snapped back.

"Jesus! I told you, this doesn't change anything. We're waiting. You're fifteen, and I'm not ready for jail, Henry. You know how I feel about you, and I know how you feel about me. Why the hell do you think I'm gonna get a place with my cousin? I don't want to live in the dorms, and thankfully, my dad was able to make it happen for me. When you start down there, I'll make Anna move out, and we'll live together. Keep your damn grades up," Jack told him as he touched the boy's face before their lips brushed. Jack didn't deepen it because they didn't want to get carried away, what with not knowing when JJ and Will or even Claire, Henry's little sister, might return. Besides, they'd have plenty of time for all of it in the future.

They'd both excelled in school, thanks to Spencer Reid. Jack was entering college at seventeen. Henry was a junior at fifteen. They had feelings for each other, but they'd never fully acted on them aside from a hug, hand holding, or a soft kiss. They were waiting for the rest of it. They were too young to make the adult decisions involved in permanent relationships, and they had a long road to travel, but they hoped at the end of it they could have as good a relationship as Jack's dads, Aaron and Spencer, or Henry's parents, Will and JJ. They had a large, loving family they knew they could count on for support.

Henry looked at Jack with worry on his face. "What are we gonna do if my momma and daddy get pissed 'bout this, chére? You're dads will be cool about it, but Will LaMontagne? I ain't sure he's gonna be fine with havin' a son who's a fag," Henry explained.

Jacked touched his face and brushed his lips over Henry's again, hoping to comfort him. "Let's worry about one thing at a time, babe. We're not ready to come out yet, so chill. When the time comes, we'll go to my dads first. They'll help us explain it to Aunt Jayje and Uncle Will. At the end of the day, Henry, we belong together. If anyone objects…too bad," Jack said as the two embraced.

FIN

[E/N: I know…unexpected, but I liked the idea of it, so there you go. If the Epilogue confuses you, maybe go to the side-shot and read the third chapter which tells the background for how the group got to the epilogue. Thanks again for the support. Xoxo, ML]