A/n here's the last chapter. Thanks again to all who've commented on this story and supported it.
Disclaimer: I own only my own characters.
Reid, The Next Generation
"Just one more push JJ, and it's all over." The doctor said. Spencer was still on his feet, still upright despite what Morgan and Emily had prophesied. He clasped her hand securely with his own, even though she had been squeezing it tightly enough to break it.
She took a deep breath and pushed even though she was exhausted and her hair hung in soaked strips to her shoulders. With a last agonizing scream that scared Reid to death and sent his blood pressure soaring, it was over. At first there was only quiet and the doctor murmuring to the nurse, then there was a small slap of hand on flesh and a baby's lusty cry filled the room. JJ sagged into Reid's arms and began to cry. She was breathing hard and sobbing as the doctor smiled up at them.
"Your daughter is waiting to see you, Dad." He said to Spencer. Reid slowly lowered JJ to her pillows and walked around to the doctor on unsteady feet. Maybe Morgan was right after all, maybe he would faint.
"Come on Dr. Reid, she won't bite." The doctor handed him the scissors and showed him where to cut between the two clamps on the cord. He snipped through the cord with trembling and sweaty hands encased in gloves. The doctor gave the baby to the nurse for an Apgar score and a bit of cleaning up. He glimpsed at bit of her face and the blond hair peeping out of the blanket as they took her away.
He went back to JJ who was sobbing quietly. "Hey mom, don't cry she's okay, and we'll see her in a minute." He wiped away a few of his own tears when she looked up at him with the dark blue eyes he loved. The beautiful face that would forever hold him its grasp was flushed and drawn with fading pain.
"I love you Mrs. Reid." He said leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her lips.
"I love you Dr. Reid." She answered, as he wiped away her tears with his thumbs.
"Here we go mama," a small blond haired nurse said. She placed the pink bundle into JJ's arms, and backed away from the parents.
"Oh Spencer… she's beautiful." He watched her begin to cry again and his own eyes filled up with tears. The baby was the only one of the three not crying. She turned into JJ's breast and fell asleep.
"Looks like she knows her mama," Spencer said, watching her with awe. She was so tiny.
"Do you want to hold her papa?" JJ asked tiredly, but with a big smile.
"Ah - no… I don't want to wake her up." He said waving her away.
"Come on Spence she's isn't going to break." JJ then put the baby in his arms before he could protest.
The feelings that rose in his chest when she came into his arms were unlike anything he'd ever experienced. He had scoffed at Morgan when the older man had told him that he'd fallen in love with his son the first time the nurse put him into his arms. It just wasn't possible to feel that strongly about a tiny little red faced person that couldn't talk, or think. He was wrong and he didn't mind admitting it at all. He loved this little person, more than he could express. His breath caught in his throat and he began to cry once more.
"What are we going to call her?" JJ asked.
He could think of only one name. Diana!
"How do you feel about Diana?" He asked anxiously searching his wife's face for any signs she didn't want to give the baby his mother's name.
"I think its perfect, just like her." She said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lisa knocked impatiently on the hospital room door, and then entered when Spencer's voice called out "Come on in!"
The room was filled with balloons and flowers. There were little gift bags stacked in one corner, their bright colors adding to the happy atmosphere of the room. A large window covered with blinds sheltered the room as the sun set outside. To her left was the hospital bed where JJ reclined. To her right was a small bassinet. It was empty her eager eyes noticed. She looked back to the left, and saw Spencer sitting in a very comfy looking chair with small bundle in his arms.
"Hey sis, I see you couldn't wait till tommorow to come visit." He teased.
"Is he always a smart ass after dinner?" Lisa asked JJ, ignoring her grinning brother.
"Yes… I can't seem to make him behave." JJ said smirking in Reid's direction.
Lisa hurried over to where he sat with the baby and began to beg to hold her.
"Hey… don't I get a proper hello?" JJ complained.
"What… oh sorry sis, how are you this fine evening?" Lisa asked primly and was rewarded by a glare from JJ.
"Now don't look at me like that in front of the baby."
"You're a real funny girl; did you inherit that from the Reid side of the family?"
Spencer looked up at her from under his messy bangs and they both began to laugh. JJ only shook her head. It was best not to get these two going or you were in trouble!
"Come on Spencer, let me hold her." She couldn't contain her excitement anymore.
"Okay but you have to remember to support the head and make sure that you…"
"Hey, I'm a world champion babysitter remember. I think I can hold her right." He withered her with a look, and she just smiled and held out her arms.
He let her take the baby and she didn't speak for so long that JJ said. "Hey, why so quiet, is she that ugly?"
"No… of course not, she's beautiful!" She traced a finger down the sleeping baby's face and then to her hand. The little fingers wrapped around hers in a strong grip.
"She has the same hands that we do Spencer."
"I noticed that. Her eyes are blue, but that can change. We won't know if they will stay blue for about six months."
He moved over to sit next to JJ on the bed. "I hope they get to be the same blue as her mother's." He remarked quietly. Then he leaned in and kissed her.
"Ew… would you two stop it…" Lisa demanded. Spencer smiled wickedly and repeated the kiss, deepening it, and making it last till breathing became an issue for them both. He pulled away to see that JJ was blushing and Lisa was glaring at him.
"That's not funny!"
"Yes it was, infinitely so. You should see the look on your face."
"Ha, ha, I don't know how you put up with him." Lisa groused.
"He's too cute to divorce." JJ answered, earning her a swat on the arm from Spencer.
Diana began to cry and JJ took her from Lisa. "I suppose she's hungry, it's been about three hours since I fed her." She gave Spencer a significant look and he stood up. He held a hand out to Lisa. "Come on peanut. Let's go take a walk."
"But -"
"JJ needs to feed the baby." He said.
Lisa flushed and said, "Oh sorry, we'll come back in a little while."
They made their way out the door and down the hallway to an empty family waiting room. Reid went to the window and looked out. "It's a beautiful night."
"Yeah it is."
He turned abruptly and faced her. "Lisa, what's going on with you and Henry Dugdale?" She flinched back in surprise when she saw how angry he was.
"I don't know what you're talking about big brother." her hands were fluttering nervously about her like birds, and she felt guilt worm its way into her stomach.
"Don't play games with me Lisa. I was there in the classroom and I saw how you were looking at him. He terrifies you. What happened?"
She turned to look at the far wall. She couldn't look him in the face. "That's great Spencer; you must eat sleep and breathe your job if you can't turn it off around the family. I'll bet JJ loves that about you."
"Don't get smart with me Lisa Reid. You forget I am an expert in body language and your's was screaming at me this morning, even though you disguised your feelings well when we talked. What did he do to you? Don't make me ask you again."
"You're not Dad Spencer… so leave it alone!"
He jerked back in surprise and his face went white. "I can't believe you just said that!"
"Oh God… I'm sorry; I didn't mean that, I don't know what I mean." She began to cry stormily. He took two steps up to her and wrapped her up in a tight hug. She cried for a long time, letting go of the fear and the anger that had taken over her heart when Hank had tried to… She couldn't, no wouldn't, think about what might have happened if David hadn't been there.
She pulled away from Spencer and went to sit down on the couch at one end of the room. Spencer sat next to her and took one of her hands. She didn't move or say anything for a very long time. Then it all came out in a rush. She refused to look at him and it was a good thing. He didn't want her to see the rage such as he had never known, fill his belly. Not even Tobias Henkel had caused such an anger to rise within him. He clamped down on it. Now was not the time to let her see how upset he was.
He was thrilled that David had helped her. She talked about this boy all the time and he knew that she had a huge crush on him. He smiled to hear that she was going to go to a game with him that Saturday. Still… it might be a good idea to do a background check on the boy, just it case. Maybe he could have Morgan follow them, just to be safe.
"Are you still mad at me Spencer?" She looked up, her eyes, that were so like his own, full of tears.
"No, but next time I need you to tell me right away if something like this happens. Did you tell your teacher or a counselor?"
"No! I just want to forget it happened. Please don't tell anyone!" He shouldn't let her talk him out of telling someone, but he knew what it was like to get bullied and sometimes it was wiser not to provoke another confrontation.
"Okay peanut… I promise. I am going to call CPS, there's something not right at that home and he is still a minor that needs help. Maybe things can still turn around for him?"
"I doubt it, he's a jackass."
"Language," Spencer said mildly. "Honey… he's reacting to his environment, it's made him angry and -"
"Don't give me that profiler crap big brother; he does stuff like that because he likes to hurt people." She argued, pulling a Kleenex out of the bag she carried with her. She wiped her eyes and they dared Spencer to disagree with her.
"I'm not going to lecture you on criminal psychology. You already understand enough of it to make me scared for you." He said rocking back and forth nervously on the couch.
"I don't want to be a profiler if that's what you're afraid of. Can we just not talk about this anymore?"
"Okay but first chance I get, I'm calling CPS."
She rolled her eyes and hauled him to his feet. "Come on, let's go back and see the baby."
He followed her out of the room admiring her resiliency. Even so, he was going to have a talk with Maggie.
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The rest of the team had come and gone about an hour before, so Lisa was able to have Diana to herself. Reid wanted to kick her out so he could hold his daughter, and JJ just laughed at them both.
"Guess what wife of mine, Lisa here has a date with David!"
"Really… the David," JJ asked her red faced sister-in-law.
"Thanks bro, nice to know you can keep a secret!" She pouted.
"What I want to know is why my husband is privy to this knowledge before me?" JJ asked the flustered young woman.
"I was going to tell you after you got out of the hospital, but you know how Spencer is. He has to profile everyone."
"Hey… I -"
"She's right husband dear. You make it impossible for anyone to keep a secret. Diana is going to hate you when she's a teenager."
"Good… that's just the way I want it." He said proudly and seriously.
"So tell me all about it, what happened." JJ asked, making a mental note to have a long and serious talk with her misguided husband.
"Well… Jessica said this morning that if I didn't talk to him, she would and you know how she is." Lisa said with a bit of exasperation in her voice.
"Yeah… I know how she is." JJ had pity for her little sister-in-law. She remembered being that type of friend in high school, and now had enough distance from those years to see how annoying that could be.
"Anyway… I was thinking about asking Spencer for some advice on how to talk to him and -" She stopped and stared in amazement when JJ began to laugh like a loon.
"What's so funny?" Spencer demanded his face going red again. The baby remained asleep in Lisa's arms even though JJ's laughter was making her laugh too.
JJ wiped at her eyes as the chuckles finally stopped. "I'm sorry baby… it's just the thought of you giving dating advice."
He wanted to be insulted but he knew she was right.
"JJ is right; I'm not the best person to question about dating." He then explained how he and JJ had gone to a Redskins game together and what a disaster that had been.
"But if it was so bad, how did you to end up together?" She asked curiously while rocking Diana gently in the chair she sat in.
"Lisa you know I'm a recovering drug addic...t right?" He said forthrightly. It no longer shamed him to admit it, and he was happier than anyone ever knew to feel that way.
"Yeah, you told me about Tobias and the Dilaudid, but what does that have to do with JJ?"
"You see kiddo, I almost died. I had an overdose at the BAU and lucky for me Morgan found me in time. I went to rehab and got clean. JJ was there everyday they didn't have a case, and after she got over being furious with me, she told that she loved me and the rest is history."
He saw that Lisa was crying again and he kicked himself for being so blunt. He shouldn't have said it like that.
"Peanut I'm sorry… I didn't mean to upset you." He went to her chair and sat down next to her.
"How come you never told me this before?" she asked and she was a little angry at him for keeping his near fatal overdose from her.
"I didn't want to scare you, you're just a kid and -" He reared back in surprise when her eyes turned to ice and her face went red with fury.
"I'm not a kid anymore so don't treat me like one!"
"I'm sorry... you're right. Will you forgive me?" He hugged her a bit awkwardly since she still held Diana.
"Yeah, just don't do it again, I love you Spencer I want to help you if you need it."
"Okay, I promise."
A sudden strange look came over his face as he looked down at his daughter.
"Hey baby… what is it?" JJ asked.
"I just had a terrible thought, now there will be three beautiful girls that have me wrapped around their fingers. My life is no longer my own." He said in a horrified whisper.
"Took you long enough to figure that out." JJ said with a satisfied smirk over Lisa's laughter.
THE END