Growing Up Again

Ahmose Inarus

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Criminal Minds, nor do I make any financial profit off of writing this. But I do profit personally through the immense joy I get from writing this!

SLASH WARNING! Hotch/Reid

This is another AU of the Let Me In Series. Consider the series the background, but this fic is not actually part of the series.

Re-Birth

Special Agent In Charge Aaron Hotchner glanced across the doorway at his old friend and mentor, now teammate and subordinate.

Veteran Profiler David Rossi met his look and nodded, then reached out and jerked the door open. Hotch burst in, gun up and ready, followed closely by David Rossi and Jennifer Jareau, and then a small legion of SWAT Agents. They moved down the hallway, kicking open the three doors that were there. One was a janitor's closet, another was a small, empty office. The third was a slightly larger room with a stirrup chair, and several unfamiliar machines on the far counter… there was dried blood on the chair, and the floor.

They continued around the corner… they heard activity in a room to their right, but then they heard a crash.

"FBI, DON'T MOVE!" They heard fellow Agent Derek Morgan bellow.

"Go." Hotch ordered, and JJ threw open the door. "FBI!" Hotch shouted as they burst in, SWAT pouring in behind him, and on the other side of the room, behind Agents Morgan, Emily Prentiss and the youngest member of the team, twenty five year old Dr. Spencer Reid.

"What are you doing here?!" Shouted a startled man, running behind a desk and keeping it between him and all the agents. "This is private property, get out!"

"Put your hands on your head and shut your mouth!" Morgan shouted.

"I've not done anything wrong!"

"You're under arrest, now put your hands in the air!" Morgan snapped.

"NO! I… I haven't finished!" The man argued. There was a hiss, and another door opened.

Another man stepped into the room and froze, eyes wide.

"DON'T MOVE!"

"RUN, DANNY!" Screamed the first man, diving under the desk. Danny leaped back into the room and slammed the door.

The next few minutes were chaotic at best. SWAT was chasing the man around under tables, Morgan kicked in the door that the second man, Danny, was behind, and Agents swarmed into that room, too. The man was clinging to a large machine, crying like a baby and waving a gun around, insisting that he had to finish his work.

Later, all anyone could say was that Danny had been the one to shoot first.

Once he did, SWAT and FBI Agents opened fire. Bullets sprayed over Danny, and over the machine he had been trying to stay with. The machine sparked and began making a loud whine… Lights flickered on and off. A jet of steam shot out of the side.

"It's gonna blow!" A panicking SWAT Agent screamed, and the chaos got even more confusing.

The lights overhead began to flicker, and the ground underfoot trembled.

But then, there was a blinding flash.

The FBI Agents stared as what looked like a cannon on the top of the machine suddenly dropped with a crash, and a jet of orange-pink light burst out of the end … and it struck Spencer Reid full in the chest.

"REID!" Morgan cried, and JJ let out a scream, "SPENCE!"

The young man's gun clattered to the floor as he was slammed back into the wall. And then came the explosion.

Everyone was thrown to the floor or into walls as the machine was overwhelmed by the damage.

Aaron Hotchner returned to his senses to the sound of Emily Prentiss.

"Rossi?!" He heard her cry, and slowly, he lifted his head. The woman was struggling to drag a dazed David Rossi out from under a large piece of twisted metal. A moment later, Morgan staggered into view and moved to help her.

"Hotch?"

Aaron Hotchner turned and looked into the blue eyes of Jennifer Jareau.

"JJ… Are you alright?"

"I don't know…" She groaned, moving to drop to her knees beside him. "I think I've dislocated my shoulder… But… Hotch… Oh God…" and tears fell down her cheeks. "Spence…"

Hotch's heart clenched and his stomach twisted as he suddenly recalled the image of his subordinate being blasted by an unknown machine… He forced himself to his feet and began to clamor over debris towards the wall that Reid had been blasted into.

"Spencer…" He gasped. "SPENCER?!"

He heard the others behind him, moving to follow. He knew they were scared and worried for their youngest… but not like he was…

Spencer Reid was more than Aaron Hotchner's subordinate… he was his lover of nearly two years... He didn't think he could take it if he lost him…

"Spencer?" He gasped, terrified as he did not get any response. JJ was scrambling just a step behind him, and Morgan right behind her. Rossi was helped along by Emily not far behind Morgan.

Hotch clamored on top of the wreckage of the machine, and stared down.

"Oh my God…" JJ gasped.

"No…" Hotch breathed. "No… oh no… no no no…"

On the floor was a dirty flack jacket, F B I emblazoned on the black in bold white letters over a gray sweater vest, blue button down shirt and pale yellow tie, now stained with soot. A belt and leather holster matched up with the revolver lying several feet away. Soiled khaki slacks had two socks sticking out of the legs, one neon green, and the other with black and white chess pieces patterned on a red background. These were hanging out of a pair of converse shoes.

The disturbing thing was, there did not appear to be a body in the clothes. At least, not at first. Then, suddenly, a thin wail reached their ears, and the shirt under the flack jacket seemed to move. Heart pounding, Hotch made his way down and dropped to his knees, carefully digging in his lover's clothing. What he found made his heart stop.

A tiny baby boy lay there, crying his little heart out, fists flailing. Hotch recognized the infant immediately… Diana Reid had shown him pictures…

"… Spencer…?"

"What?" JJ gasped. "That… That's…"

"No." Morgan breathed. "No way… That… that's impossible."

"What is?" Rossi asked, finally reaching the group with Emily.

"Oh my God…" Emily blurted.

Carefully, Hotch lifted the naked baby boy into his arms and held him close to his chest.

"Where's that scientist?!" Hotch suddenly demanded, his harsh bark making the baby jump and cry even harder.

"Sir." Called a SWAT Agent. "He's dead, sir." Hotch felt his heart fall.

"No…" He breathed. This couldn't be happening. That machine had done this to Spencer had been made by the man called Danny… and with Danny dead and the machine destroyed…

"I'll go get the other scientist…" JJ gasped. "Maybe he'll know what… what to do…" And she turned and ran. Hotch stared after her, then moved to follow. Morgan gathered up Reid's singed belongings, and he, Rossi and Emily chased after Hotch.

They found SWAT guarding the other scientist in the little office down the hall. When Hotch walked in, the man looked at the crying baby and just smiled and shook his head, chuckling.

"Shot one of you, did he?" The man asked. "Danny's dead, isn't he? I'm not surprised. He would rather die than have that machine taken away from him… and he takes all his knowledge to the grave."

"What do you mean?" Rossi asked, and the group tensed.

"Danny is… WAS…" the scientist corrected, allowing tears to fall. "A genius. Unlike any other. He had an IQ of 198. Seven PhD's and he was only thirty two. He's worked for NASA, Microsoft, and nearly a dozen research companies and organization… He could have won a Nobel Prize, Agents. He… He was going to make history with that machine… He unlocked the secrets of Time Travel. That was his ambition. And he did it, to an extent. That machine could focus on an object and reverse the time for it… with organics… it reduced the aging process. Like with your uh… friend there." And he nodded towards the tiny baby.

"The machine has been destroyed." Rossi said.

"… Shame. It was to be his… legacy." The man before them sighed.

"Can you rebuild it?" Emily asked.

"Me?!" The man's eyes widened in surprise and amusement. "I don't think anyone alive could!"

"So… That's it then? There's no hope…" JJ gasped.

"Hope for what?" The scientist asked, blinking his eyes.

"Getting Spence back to… normal…?" JJ whispered, tears coming to her eyes.

"What? Oh, heavens, it's not permanent. The machine was a prototype! Imperfect!"

"What do you mean?" Morgan asked.

"He'll grow up."

"… That will take years." Hotch gasped.

"No it won't." The scientist snorted. "I was the first human guinea pig… unwilling, I might add! Nearly killed Danny for doing it when I was back to normal." The man shook his head and chuckled. "From our experiments, the subjects aged approximately one year's worth every day. How old is he?"

"… Twenty Five." Hotch said.

"There you go, then. In twenty five days, he'll be good as new." The scientist announced with a jovial smile. "He still has all his memories, but his mental maturity will have to develop again. So some memories he won't be able to comprehend for a while. But have fun being out-talked and out-smarted by a five year old."

"So… he'll be fine?" Morgan asked, hardly daring to hope.

"Of course." The scientist said. "Just… go out and get the supplies you'll need to raise a child."

"… Thank you." Rossi said, and the group turned to leave.

"Um… So I was wondering…" The scientist called after them, and they turned.

"Yes?" Rossi asked.

"Well… I helped you… I was wondering if you would help me?"

"With what?" Hotch demanded to know.

"… I helped… Could I maybe… get a deal?" The man asked, hopefully.

Hotch scowled. "Did you perform scientific experiments on human beings?"

"… Uh… well… you see, I—"

"and did you murder the ones that weren't killed by the experiments to shut them up?" Emily asked in a frigid voice.

"Ah… well, uh… Not exactly, I—"

"No deals." Rossi snorted, and the team left.

They headed out to their SUV, and Hotch immediately slid into one of the back seats, still staring down at the baby in his arms in shock.

"Hotch… Do you want me to take him?" JJ offered.

"… No." Hotch murmured, almost inaudible. The baby was tiny… Hotch was guessing that he was maybe five pounds…

"Hotch."

"Yeah, JJ…"

"He's crying." The young mother reminded him. Hotch blinked, then nodded. He readjusted the baby, fitting him into the crook of his arm, and gently ran his hand over the dark hair.

"Shhh…" Hotch whispered. "Spencer… Shhh… it's okay… it's okay. I'm here…" And he began to rock the baby, gently. Slowly, the infant's cries faded. Morgan slid into driver's seat, and JJ took Shotgun. Rossi and Emily took the other car.

"I… I need to call Haley." Hotch suddenly announced.

"Haley? What for?" JJ asked.

"Jack's things from when he was a baby… his… car seat and…"

"I'll handle it so you don't have to explain." JJ said, and Hotch nodded.

"Thank you." He mumbled. "And call Garcia. Tell her… tell her to pick up some supplies for me."

"Dialing right now." JJ said, and put her cell on speaker phone.

"Greetings, adventurers." Garcia spoke up. "Your Guild Master awaits your report!"

"Garcia, no games, now." Morgan called.

"… why?" Garcia asked, her care-free tone gone and now filled with worry.

"Garcia." Hotch called. "something has happened."

"Oh God… is someone hurt? Please tell me you're all okay!"

"Well… no one is hurt, but… we're not okay…" JJ said, carefully.

"We'll explain when we get back to Quantico." Hotch said. "but I need you to do something for me."

"… Okay?"

"I need you to go to the store and pick up a day or two's worth of baby formula, and a day's worth of baby food. I need you to buy an outfit for a new born, an outfit or two for a baby and a toddler. I need you to get a bottle or two, and a pacifier and maybe a teething ring. And I need diapers for a newborn up to pull-ups for a potty training child."

"Oh… Oh My God… were they experimenting on babies?!"

"Garcia, no… We'll explain later, just do it. And get one of those baby carrier things, too. And then, go pick up a few things from Haley that we need to borrow."

"Aye aye, Cap'n! Right away!"

"Thank you." Hotch sighed. "We'll see you in a couple of hours." Hotch said as they began to drive through the small town of Rolling Hills, Virginia. "… Morgan, pull over!" Hotch suddenly ordered. Morgan did as he was told, and watched Hotch get out of the car. A woman with a stroller was leaving the bank.

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" Hotch called, and the woman looked up. She froze at the sight of the gun at his hip and the flack jacket he still wore, reading FBI. "Would you by any chance have a spare diaper that I could have?" she blinked, then looked down at the baby in his arms.

"Oh… Y-Yes, of course…" And she dug through the diaper bag on her shoulder. "Um… here." And she handed him a small diaper. He smiled and nodded.

"Thank you." And he went back to the car and held the baby to his chest while setting the diaper down on the seat. He then laid little Spencer Reid down on the diaper, folding it up over his body and taping the wings down to secure it on his tiny form. The baby grunted and whined in displeasure. Hotch just smiled and picked up the baby again, sliding into the car and holding him close after fastening his seatbelt.

"Okay, let's go." He said, gently patting the baby's bare back. "And drive carefully Morgan. He's not in a car seat."

"You got it, Hotch." Morgan said, and JJ watched as Hotch picked up his suit coat from the seat and wrapped little Spencer up in it before cradling him close.

Garcia was anxiously awaiting the team when they got back to the BAU, two hours later.

"Did you get the guys?!"

"Two of them." Morgan nodded. "One is dead, the other is telling us where his pals in their little Kevorkian Club are for a deal with the DA."

"Oh, good. So… why the baby stuff?" Garcia asked. Morgan sighed and turned. Garcia looked past him. Hotch stood there, holding a tiny bundle. "Oh… a baby?"

Unsure of how to break the news to Penelope, Morgan just nodded. She moved towards Hotch, and peered down at the little sleeping face.

"Oh… It's just a premie!"

"A what?" Morgan asked.

"A premature baby. It's so little, it had to be born early!"

"You have the clothes, Garcia?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah. You didn't say boy or girl, so…" She held up a little onsie. It was white with a little ducky on the chest.

"That will do fine." Hotch said. "Diapers?"

"And powder and wipes." Garcia nodded, holding up a sack. Hotch nodded and moved over to Reid's desk, laying the baby down on it and beginning to work on the wet diaper. "Oh, Reid is NOT gonna be happy when he sees you doing that there…"

"He really doesn't care." Hotch mumbled, frowning.

"Where is he?" Garcia asked. The team looked at one another, awkwardly. "… What?" Garcia asked.

"Um… that IS Reid." JJ finally said. Garcia blinked and looked at her.

"What?"

"That IS Reid." JJ said again. Garcia blinked and looked at the baby for a moment, then looked around at the team. They all just stared at her, silently.

"You… this… this is a joke, right?" She asked. No one said anything. "But… you… No… no way…" She turned back to watch Hotch put a dry diaper on the baby, and then put him in the nice, cozy onsie before he held the baby to his chest, letting the infant rest his head on his shoulder.

"Could someone make Spencer a bottle, please?" Hotch asked, softly.

"You're serious…" Garcia said, weakly.

"As the plague." Rossi said in a grim, tone.

"Oh… Reid…" Garcia gasped, moving closer and staring at the baby again. She swayed.

"Whoa! Easy, princess." Morgan gasped, moving to steady her.

"… I uh… I'll make the bottle." Emily said, going to do that.

Morgan took Garcia to sit down, and explain everything that had happened. When he was done, she was still looking a bit shell shocked, but amazed and even a bit delighted.

"So… he'll be back to normal in a little over three weeks?"

"So we've been told." Morgan sighed.

Garcia walked over and stared down at the tiny baby that she now knew was her colleague. He was squirming a bit, and fussing, but not all out crying.

"Awww… he's so cute…" Garcia cooed as Emily returned with the warm formula.

"Thank you." Hotch said, settling down in the chair at Reid's desk. JJ, Garcia and Emily immediately moved in.

"Prop him up."

"Here… let him rest against your arm."

"Cross your legs! Your arm can rest on your leg, and—"

"Ladies." Hotch interrupted, looking up at them with wide eyes and an incredulous smile that they had never seen on his face before. "I AM a father. This isn't my first ballgame."

The women stopped and blinked, and then all turned red.

"Oh… right. Sorry, sir." Emily mumbled, and JJ just gave a guilty grin and shrug. Garcia pulled out a camera and snapped a picture of Hotch smiling, with the baby.

"CUTE!" Was all she said. Hotch chuckled and shook his head, then looked down.

"Ready to eat, Spencer?" He asked, gently. The baby gave a whiny grunt. "I think that's a 'yes', huh?" And Hotch turned the bottle upside down and waited for a drop of formula to bead on the tip of the rubber nipple, and once it did, it poked it into the baby's mouth. The baby recoiled at first, but when he realized the taste on his tongue, he began to tentatively suckle. And once he got more formula, he quieted down and began to suck vigorously.

"Awww… look how sweet he is…" Garcia cooed. "He's so ickle and wee!"

"… He's… what?" Rossi asked, giving her a baffled look.

"He's little bitty." JJ translated.

"Ah."

"Ohhh… he's hungry!" Emily exclaimed.

"Of course he is… He never had breakfast OR lunch!" Morgan snorted, peering down at his best friend. "Damn… he IS tiny."

"And CUTE!" Garcia squealed softly. Morgan grinned and glanced at her.

"Yeah… yeah he is…"

"Um… can someone find something that I can use as a burping cloth?" Hotch asked, quietly. His eyes never left Spencer's face. The team stared at the… oddly tender look in his usually cold, hard eyes.

"…. Awwww…" Garcia gasped, and snapped a photo. Hotch looked up at her and quirked an eyebrow.

"… Burping cloth?" He asked again.

"What the hell is a burping cloth?" Morgan asked, making a face. "You make it sound like he's gonna burp something up all over you."

"That's EXACTLY what's going to happen, Morgan." Hotch said, now fixing an amused look on the younger agent.

"Oh. OH! Oh, gross! Man, I did NOT need to know that!" the girls laughed at him as Garcia dug through the diaper bag she had picked up from Hotch's ex-wife.

"Here you go, sir!" she announced, draping a cloth over Hotch's shoulder.

"Thank you." Hotch said, readjusting his hold on the baby in his arms. When the bottle was nearly half gone, little Spencer Reid let go and turned his head away, scrunching up his face as he lifted a tiny fist up to rub his eye.

"awww…" The girls chorused, and with a loving smile, Hotch lifted the baby up to rest on his shoulder, firmly rubbing the small back. Morgan and Rossi exchanged looks as they watched the women coo over Hotch caring for the baby. After a bit, the baby gurgled and hiccupped, and then spit up a bit.

"Oh! EW!" Morgan exclaimed, making a disgusted grimace. Hotch chuckled, moving to hold Reid in the crook of his arm again, using the burping cloth to clean his little face.

"There you go." The man said, gently. "Better?" He asked, as though expecting an answer. The baby just fussed a little bit before slowly quieting down.

"Agent Hotchner!" the voice rang across the bullpen, making several agents, and a certain baby, jump. Reid began to wail, his shrill cries filling the room.

Strauss walked across the bullpen, but Hotch didn't stand to greet her. In fact, he barely glanced at her. All of his focus was on the baby in his arms, and trying to comfort him and lull him back to sleep.

"Agent Hotchner, I—"

"Could you hand me that pacifier?" Hotch interrupted. Strauss blinked, taken aback, but as a mother even she could not ignore the baby's thin wails of distress. She did as he had asked, and watched Hotch poke the thing into the baby's mouth. The baby was startled, but then began to suck. And once he had quieted enough to hear Hotch's gentle voice, he calmed and nestled down into the man's arms with a soft sigh.

"Yes?" Hotch finally asked, looking up at his Section Chief. She frowned slightly.

"Can we speak in your office?"

"I'd rather not move and risk waking him." Hotch said, frowning right back.

"Chief Strauss." The woman turned when Morgan called her name, and blinked when he rolled his chair over from his desk.

"Thank you, Agent Morgan." She said with a nod, and sat.

"We'll give you some privacy." Rossi said, and herded everyone away from Reid's desk.

"What can I do for you?" Hotch asked after they were all over by the coffee maker, sneaking looks back at the Section Chief and Unit Chief.

"I just read the preliminary report Agent Jareau made up."

"I see." Hotch asked. "And you're wondering if this is Spencer Reid?" He asked, glancing down at the baby. Strauss just stared at him, silently. "Well… it is." The woman's eyes widened, and she looked down at the newborn.

"And… how long before he… grows up?" She asked, wetting her lips.

"Three and a half weeks before he's back to normal." Hotch said.

"I see. And what will happen to him in the mean time?"

"I will care for him. And… Raise him." Hotch said.

"You're asking for a month off?"

"No." Hotch said. "I'm asking for eighteen to twenty one days. At which point, Reid should be old enough… physically, to return to work, if he wants to. And he WILL want to." Hotch said with a wry grin.

"… Isn't there anyone else?" Strauss asked, looking annoyed.

"Like who?" Hotch demanded, nearly glaring at her.

"Family?"

"His parents?" Hotch snorted. "His father, who abandoned him when he was a child? Or his institutionalized mother? Which would you prefer?" Strauss frowned and crossed her arms. Hotch shook his head. "No ma'am. He has no one but this team. This is my fault. I should never had let this happen. And so until he's resolved, I will care for him." And he stood when they baby began fussing again, awakened by the angry tone in his voice. "Would someone take him, please?"

"I got it." Morgan said, walking over. "Hey there, Pretty Boy…" He cooed, taking the baby and holding him up. "Damn, you're a tiny thing!"

The baby made a face and gurgled, then spit up all over Morgan's shirt.

"AH! HOTCH!"

"… If you would prefer, HE could try to do it." Hotch suggested to Strauss in grim amusement.

"… I'll file the paperwork to give you three weeks off." Strauss said, blandly, and left the mortified Agent Morgan to be handled by his Unit Chief.

"Here." Hotch said with a chuckle, taking Reid. "Go home, change, get some rest." And he turned and walked over to where the baby carrier/car seat was. The team watched him gently lay Reid down and tuck a blanket around him before buckling him in. Then he shouldered the diaper bag and picked up the carrier.

"I guess I'll head home, then." Hotch said.

"Let us know if you need anything." JJ said, anxiously.

"And tomorrow I'm coming over!" Garcia announced.

"… Why?" Hotch asked.

"To help you take care of our sweet 'lil baby G-Man!"

"… Thank you, Penelope." Hotch said with a slight smile, then bid the team good evening and left.

The drive home was relatively quiet. Reid just sucked his pacifier the whole way. He didn't fuss at all until Hotch bathed him in the kitchen sink. Hotch then secured the baby in the car seat carrier on the floor of the bathroom while he himself bathed, and then he went into the bedroom that they shared and stared at the king sized bed. After considering the bed, Hotch gathered pillows and blankets and made a bit of a nest on the bed. Then he picked up the baby and went downstairs, warmed a bottle and fed him, burped him and changed him, before laying him down in the middle of the little nest and tucking him in, poking a pacifier into his mouth again. Then Hotch crawled into bed beside the nest and turned out the lights, lying down.

He was exhausted. So much so that he only had time to kiss the baby's round cheek and lay a hand on the tiny body before he succumbed to sleep, just like little Spencer…

Next chapter of Wolf Moon is still in progress. Please enjoy this in its place!

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