One Hour Later

“PAPA!” Jack runs into Spencer’s hospital room and up to the bed. “Is she here yet?”

Spencer laughs. “No Jack, she’s not here yet.”

Garcia comes in and leans down to kiss Spencer’s forehead. “False labor?”

“No, she was coming. But she’s still too early. They are afraid if she comes out now that her lungs won’t be strong enough. They’ve given me several different drugs that are supposed to stop labor, but I’ll still have occasional contractions. I’m going to be transferred to the Male Pregnancy Center at George Washington University Hospital in the morning.” Spencer reaches for Jack’s hand. “You were so brave Jack. You helped me and the baby, you know that right?”

“I hit the pink numbers just like you said,” Jack smiles.

“You’re phone number is on our fridge written in pink so he remembers,” Spencer tells Garcia. Garcia knew that she would be the emergency contact when Aaron was out of town, considering she didn’t travel with the team.

“I did! And I let the 911 drivers in and everything! Papa, they let me make the siren!”

“I know, I know,” he replies. “I was very scared and you did exactly what we practiced.”

“Why were you scared?”

“See, what happens when a baby wants to come out is that the uter…” Spencer looks into Jack’s big brown eyes. “She thinks she’s ready to come out, but she doesn’t know how. So she kicks harder than you can believe and it hurts.”

“Did I kick my Mommy?”

“I’m pretty sure you did,” Garcia intercedes.

“I should say sorry,” Jack says, resting his head on Spencer’s Belly. “What is this?” He points to the fetal heart monitor strapped to Spencer’s chest.

“It measures the baby’s heartbeat to make sure she’s okay,” Spencer pats Jack on the head. “I think Aunt Garcia should take you home to bed.”

“We’ll just go to your place so he can sleep in his bed. We’ll visit tomorrow once you are transferred,” Garcia stands up. “Hotch said he’d wake up the pilot and get the jet here as soon as physically possible.”

“You might want to stay on the couch, I got sick all over the place,” Spencer says sleepily. “Thank you Jack.”

Jack hugs Spencer’s belly and then climbs up to kiss him on the cheek. “I love you Papa.”

“I love you too.”

Spencer learns that family is brave.

~

Thirty-seven Weeks Pregnant

“Okay Dr. Reid,” Dr. Carter closes his file. “Unless there is an emergency between now and then, we’ll schedule a c-section for tomorrow morning. You’ll be saying hello to your daughter before they serve breakfast here.”

“Are you absolutely sure?” Spencer asks. “I know thirty-seven weeks is early…”

“The tests all came back, her lungs are developed. She’s a bit underweight, but considering the distress you’ve been under, I think it’s safer to get her out.” Dr. Carter turns to Aaron, who is sitting in a chair next to Spencer. “Nice to see you as always, Agent Hotchner.”

“Thanks doctor,” Aaron says. Once the doctor has left the room, Aaron turns to Spencer. “I can’t believe we’re having a baby tomorrow.”

“I can’t believe I’ll finally be able to leave the hospital in a few days and go home,” Spencer says. “I’ve been bored out of my brain in here.”

“Spence, you’ve written four articles for publication, caught up on a year’s worth of paperwork and read nearly four hundred books. I know, I’ve kept count.” Aaron stands up. “I should go home and get some things ready for tomorrow. Bring you some new clothes to wear after she’s born, get her things, talk to Haley about when Jack can come.”

Spencer nods, even though the last thing he wants is for Aaron to leave. “Get your last night of sleep for the next eighteen years?”

“Something like that,” he kisses Spencer. “I’m only a phone call away.”

“I know.”

Once Aaron leaves Spencer can’t control his sobs. He’s been reading parenting book after parenting book and he still doesn’t know what to do. This baby is coming tomorrow and he’s clueless. What if he drops her? What if he doesn’t make the formula right or she gets a diaper rash or infection at the umbilical cord site? What happens when she just won’t stop crying and he gets so frustrated that he yells at her and even though she won’t understand he’ll feel like a failure?

“Hello?”

Spencer looks up to see JJ standing in the door way. He quickly wipes his face. “Hi.”

“Spence,” she sits on the edge of his bed. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m terrified that I’m going to screw this up,” he touches his belly. “They are going to deliver her in the morning and I’m not ready for this.”

“I wasn’t even close to being ready for Henry,” JJ says. “I wasn’t planning on getting pregnant and having Will move to DC and I was petrified when Henry was born. I had no clue, Will had no clue. We felt so out of it.”

“You are the best mom I know,” Spencer manages to say.

“I don’t know how to explain it. I got a lot of help. But you are lucky, Hotch has done the baby thing before and he knows all that technical stuff. He’ll teach you that quick. You just have to focus on loving that girl. For me, it was like I suddenly knew it when he was born.” JJ touches Spencer’s belly. “I can’t believe we get to see her soon! I will tell the team and we won’t show up until Hotch says it’s okay to have visitors.”

“I think it’ll be okay to come by in the afternoon sometime, I do want you all to see her. I know Aaron is planning on having Haley bring Jack by so he can meet her first, after Aaron and I.” Spencer cries again. “This is crazy.”

“Crazy amazing,” JJ says. “Crazy amazing.”

~

The Next Morning, two hours after delivery

Spencer wakes up with vague memories. He was in the operating room and they gave him a local anesthesia. Hotch was holding his hand and he could feel pain when the cut into him. It hurt so bad, so bad. The last thing he remembered was the sound of a baby crying.

He turns his left and sees Aaron standing, gently rocking his body. In his arms is a baby. Their baby, wrapped in a pink blanket. Aaron is smiling at the baby, whispering “and that’s the problem with inductive criminal profiling. Although it has it’s benefits.”

“Just born and you are already teaching her profiling?” Spencer says, using the button the arm rest to move his bed into a sitting position.

“Your Papa is awake,” Aaron moves towards the bed with the baby in his arms. “You had some bad bleeding, they put you under while they repaired it. You were only out about two hours.”

“Can I hold our daughter?” Spencer asks, feeling his whole body aching and sharp pain from the incision site.

Aaron leans down to hand her to him. “Make sure to support her head.”

Spencer is holding his daughter. Suddenly the pain is gone. The fear is gone, the insecurity and the worry and the unknown. This is what JJ was talking about. He just knows now. “Hi there, I’m your Papa. But we’ve already met.”

Her eyes are open, dark like Aaron’s. Spencer knows that babies are born close to blind, because their eyes take some time to learn to filter light properly, but she can see shapes and lights. She has a slight amount of light brown hair on her head and Spencer swears she has his nose and lips. She’s swaddled in the pink blanket that Prentiss bought them during the baby shower that made Spencer cry all afternoon. “Where is her hat?” Spencer asks. “She needs a hat, she’ll get cold. What are you thinking?”

“Here,” Aaron reaches into the hospital bassinet and puts it on her. “I was touching her pretty soft hair.”

“So what is her name? She can’t stay Baby Reid-Hotchner forever,” he looks at Aaron.

“I think she looks like Addison Diane Reid-Hotchner to me.”

Spencer smiles and looks down at her. “Hi Addison. Welcome to the world.”

Spencer learns that love can be immediate.

~

One Week Later

Spencer gets out of the car and goes to the backseat to get Addison. “Aaron, were you trying to win the NASCAR award?”

“What?” Aaron goes around the other side, gathering the diaper bag and luggage. “You mean the Indy Cup?”

“I mean don’t drive so fast with Addy in the car,” Spencer says. “Hey Addy, time to go home.”

“I drove thirty in a fifty-five, I’m surprised we didn’t get run off the road,” Aaron corrects him.

“Will you get the door, please?” Spencer asks, straining to pick up Addison in her carrier.

Once the trio is in the house, he sets her carrier on the couch before noticing the decorations. “It looks like a party store threw up in here,” he comments.

“That would be Garcia,” Aaron laughs.

The room is covered in pink streamers and balloons. A big hand-painted sign coated in glitter reads ‘Welcome Home Addison!’ and there are pacifiers hanging on strings at each end. The infant swing that JJ gave them for the shower is set up, with a small stuffed white polar bear sitting in it. “Wow,” Spencer mutters.

“We should take her to her room while she’s asleep,” Aaron says.

“No, I don’t want her waking up in a strange place alone,” Spencer replies, sitting down next to her and just staring.

“Haley should be here with Jack any minute, I’ll intercept them outside and tell him she’s asleep.” Aaron kisses Spencer on the top of the head. “She looks just like you.”

“When is it too soon to take her on a plane? I want her to meet my mother.”

Aaron smiles. “I think JJ and I can arrange a business trip to Las Vegas on the jet. That way she won’t annoy other passengers with her crying. Maybe in a couple weeks. We’ll ask the pediatrician when it’s safe.” Aaron turns his head at the sound of car doors closing outside. “I’ll go get Jack.”

Settling into the couch, Spencer puts a free hand on his stomach. He misses her. It’s odd, because she’s right next to him, but that feeling of her inside him was something he had gotten used to and now that she’s out its weird. He smiles to himself, remembering when it was weird for her to be inside him. His red plaid pajama pants and short-sleeve grey gym tee are both comfortable and fit over his body. He gained some weight during the pregnancy, and his torso is still stretched out. Morgan said he would help train him back into shape over the coming weeks, but that will have to wait until his c-section heals.

“Papa?”

Spencer looks up to see Aaron and Jack gently walking into the room. “She’s sleeping.”

Jack comes and sits on Spencer’s lap, something that he’s only done maybe three times his whole life. He leans over to put his face really close to Addison and kiss her cheek very softly. “She’s so pretty,” he whispers. “When she wakes up, can we show her the toys in her crib?”

Spencer thinks about the nursery, which is rather small considering it was their home office at one point (the office is now located in the corner of the kitchen). It’s not pink, per Spencer’s request, but rather a nice pastel green. There are a mix of toys and gifts around the room. A rocking chair is in the corner, and on the other side of the crib (a gift from Rossi) is a changing table that Morgan made himself for them.

In that moment, Spencer realizes just how crazy amazing this all is. He learns what being in a family is. It’s making family out of what you’ve got, it doesn’t matter if it’s a man, wife and 2.5 kids. It’s a group of people who love each other and can’t imagine a better place to be.

Spencer can’t think of a place he’d rather be.

FIN

~

*Laura is the name of Matthew Gray Gubler’s RL sister and Marilyn is his mother’s name.

AN I just wanted to apologize for not commenting on a lot of fic lately...it has been crazy and I just am terrible at remembering to comment. Rest assured i try to read most of what gets posted to the comms I follow. I'll get better, I promise ;)

Title:  Crazy Amazing

Rating: FRT/FRM

Pairing: Reid/Hotch. Canon couples JJ/Will and Garcia/Kevin

Summary: Spencer Reid is pregnant, and his husband Aaron Hotchner is over the moon. The problem is, Spencer never really learned how to be in a family. He’s about to get a crash course.

Beta: None. Ah well. All mistakes are mine.

ConCrit:  Better than watching Reid suck on a lollipop (and that was pretty darned good)

SPOILERS:  None really.

PART 2

“Do you have any idea how fucking angry I am?” Spencer Reid practically storms into Aaron’s hospital room. “Why didn’t you call me when you found out his name? I could have told you it was a trap!”

“I didn’t want to wake you up,” Aaron mumbles, the morphine already kicking in.

“He ran you over with his car,” Spencer, with Prentiss’s help, sits down in a chair at Aaron’s side and takes his hand.

“You’re cute when you swear,” Aaron says. “Prentiss, take him back to the hotel.”

“No way,” Spencer protests. “Just let me stay for an hour.”

“One hour, a minute more and you’re fired.” Aaron looks to Prentiss. “Promise?”

“I promise I’ll take him back Hotch,” she smiles.

Spencer puts a hand on his stomach. “We were so worried. The whole way here she was kicking.”

“Kicking?” Aaron asks.

“She’s been doing this thing where she kicks my spine, I’ve tried to feel it from the outside but no luck yet.” Spencer smiles. “Most fetusus can’t be felt kicking from the outside until closer to thirty weeks. She’s stopped since we came in here.”

Aaron reaches a handout to touch Spencer’s belly but can’t. “Shit, hurts.”

“What are the injuries?” Spencer asks Prentiss.

”Cracked ribs on both sides, more bruises than you can shake a stick at and a dislocated left shoulder,” she gets up. “I’ll be back in an hour to take you to the hotel Reid.”

“I love you,” Aaron says as he lets himself get taken by the drugs.

“I love you too.”

As Spencer’s butt goes numb in the hard plastic chair, he learns that family is about selflessness.

~

Twenty-eight Weeks Pregnant

“Welcome to my world, Papa,” Garcia says, handing Spencer a plate with a cheese Danish, a banana, a granola bar and a carton of skim milk. “Eat up.”

“Hotch put you up to this?” Spencer asks, taking the food and sitting down in a chair in Garcia’s office. “First day on desk duty and he’s already got you working against me.”

“Hey, I snuck the Danish on there. Give me some credit.” Garcia pats him playfully on the arm. “JJ called two minutes ago, they just landed and its only a matter of time before they start calling for that big brain of yours.” Spencer hums in agreement with a mouth full of Danish.

“So, what’s it like to be pregnant?” she asks him.

“Why?” He swallows and takes a sip of milk, missing his trademark coffee so bad he wanted to kill every Barista this side of the equator. “You thinking about being a mom?”

“Thought about it, but in reality you are all my kids. I sit in my chair and watch over you. But really, what’s it like?”

“Being pregnant is something I understand. The biology of it makes sense, even all those little things that they don’t write about in the baby books makes sense. Like, did you know that you produce more saliva when you’re pregnant?”

“Why, so you can lick the baby clean when it’s born? Like a cat?”

Spencer smiles. “No, it’s a side effect of the heightened presence of the hormone—“

The phone rings.

~

Twenty-nine Weeks Pregnant

“So,” Garcia leans back in her chair. “How do you know when you’re in labor?”

“Well,” Spencer puts down his fifth slice of pizza. “The uterus does start contracting, just like in female pregnancy. Something interesting,” Spencer attempts to lean forward but his belly is in the way. “The chemicals that usually trigger the dilation of the cervix are still present in male pregnancies, but they have different effects. So when I go into labor, it will start with vomiting and dizziness, just like morning sickness, followed by contractions. From what I have read, the contractions are akin to female pregnancy, but because the male reproductive system is still evolving, the body basically freaks out in response to labor because there is no way for me to deliver without surgical intervention.”

“Wow, that sounds like it sucks! But hey, at least they’ll give you the good meds when you go in.”

Spencer shakes his head. “I’m not getting epidural or anything other than a local. I can’t risk that, not after...”

Garcia nods. She knows about his drug use after Hankel. “I can’t wait to meet her. Have you and Hotchypoo picked a name yet?”

Spencer lowers his voice, even though the door is closed and there is nobody around. “We have a few choices, but my favorite is Addison Diane. The Diane part a variation on my mother’s name, Diana.”

“What about the other ones? Hotch’s favorite?”

“He likes Laura Diane and Marilyn Grace too. He thinks we should wait to officially name her until we meet her.” Spencer sighs and lovingly puts his hands on his belly. “He thinks we will just know when we see her.”

“I agree with him honey,” Garcia smiles. “I like them all.”

“We asked Jack and he thinks we should name her Precious.” Spencer smiles. “Precious Baby Girl. I told him Auntie Garcia would get jealous.”

“Damn right boy, damn right. But I like Laura Diane and Marilyn Grace the most. I think they are really the best names.”

Spencer laughs. “He told you already, didn’t he?”

Garcia puts on a fake innocent face. “He may or may not have told me and he may or may not have asked me to help sway you in a direction that may or may not include Laura Diane and Marilyn Grace.”

Spencer learns that family will conspire against you, and it’s the best thing in the world.

~

Thirty-two Weeks Pregnant

“What’s that?” Jack points to the TV screen.

“That is the Great Wall of China,” Spencer tells him, managing to sit down on the couch next to him with his packet of saltines. His stomach has been feeling queasy all day, ever since he thought a peanut-butter and mayonnaise sandwich for breakfast sounded like a good idea. Not to mention that the baby has been kicking him almost non-stop for the past hour and that makes his stomach feel uneasy.“A lot of people believe that the structure is visible from space, but that is actually an urban myth. The wall also served as home to multiple military bases, with barracks and gardens built right into the structure at hundreds of points along…”

“Cool,” Jack says, using a technique he learned from his father to shut Spencer down when he gets going. “Are you still sick?”

“A little,” Spencer shoves a saltine into his mouth. “Can you do me a baby favor?”

Jack jumps off the couch. “YES!”

Aaron took Jack on a special ‘Daddy date’ a few weeks ago, at which time Spencer knows he told Jack to take care of Spencer while he was gone. Ever since that night, Jack does all sorts of things for Spencer. He brings him his slippers, helps him carry things around the house, and even asks if he’s okay. Just like his father. Usually, Haley’s been good at keeping Jack when Aaron has to be out of town on their weekends. But she had to be out of town on her own business trip and Spencer suspects that Aaron likes at least having Jack there with him. If something happens, Jack knows how to dial 911, and he also knows how to call Garcia (her number is on the fridge and clearly marked on speed-dial, and he’s called her several times on practice before).

“Can you bring me a bottle of water? They are on the bottom shelf in the fridge,” Spencer asks.

Jack salutes him and runs into the kitchen, coming back with a bottle of water in his hands. “Here you go, Papa.”

Spencer holds his breath. This is the first time Jack has ever called him anything other than Spencer, or sometimes ‘Doctor’ when they are playing with toys. “Why did you call me Papa?”

“Because,” Jack gets back on the couch. “Daddy says that the baby is going to call you Papa. I thought about it for like, ever, and I think it would confuse her if I called you Spencer. If I call you Papa, she’ll learn it right?”

Spencer feels both elated and terrified at the same time. “Your logical reasoning makes sense.”

Jack crinkles his nose. “What does that mean?”

“It means that it makes sense, if you want to call me Papa.”

“I asked my Mommy about it, she says it’s a good idea,” Jack looks to Spencer with hope in his eyes. “Is it?”

Spencer takes a drink of water. He thinks that it’s really not that scary, considering in a few months he’ll have a daughter of his very own who will call him Papa (since Aaron is Daddy). “Yeah, it’s a good idea Jack. Excellent idea.” Just then, Spencer feels his daughter kick. “Jack, she’s kicking! I think she likes your idea.”

Spencer takes the boy’s hand and puts it on his belly where the baby is kicking and sure enough, she kicks again. “Holy CRAP!” says Jack.

Spencer laughs. “You know you aren’t supposed to say that.”

“I’m sorry Papa.”

“I won’t put you on time-out tonight, even though I should. Just don’t tell Daddy.”

Jack smiles. “Hear that baby? Don’t tell Daddy.”

~

2:45 in the Morning

Spencer wakes up sick. He can’t even really get out of bed fast enough, he ends up vomiting on the floor near the bathroom. He has to hold onto the door frame to keep from falling to the ground and he knows what’s happening. It’s too early, but he knows he has to go to the hospital. He’s scared, Aaron should be here with him, not tracking a serial arsonist in Wisconsin. The only reason Aaron left with the team on this case is because at his last check-up, Spencer was in perfect health. They all knew the baby would come early, but not this early.

Holding onto the wall, Spencer made his way slowly to Jack’s room. He knows its selfish and he shouldn’t ask this of the boy, but at the same time he’s so scared he’s started to cry and he needs help. “Jack?” Spencer calls for the boy as he comes into his room and sits on his bed. “Jack, I need you to wake up.” He gently shakes him.

“Is it school yet?” Jack asks groggily, sitting up.

“I need help. Remember when we told you about calling Aunt Garcia and 911?” Spencer feels like he wants to throw up again.

“Is the baby coming?” Jack is instantly wide awake. “Daddy said I would have to do that when the baby comes!”

Spencer nods. “I think so. My phone is next to my bed, can you bring it here please? I will call 911 and you will call Aunt Garcia. Tell her to meet us at the hospital, okay?”

Jack jumps out of bed and Spencer hears him running down the hall. He returns with his cell phone before running into the kitchen. Spencer dials 911 just as his lower torso constricts in what he assumes is a contraction. “Ahhhh,” he cries out in pain, trying very hard not to scare Jack.

“911 what is your emergency?” A young woman’s voice comes on.

Spencer gives her his name and address. “I am thirty-two weeks pregnant and I’ve gone into labor. I’m here with my six-year-old stepson and my partner is out of town. My stepson is calling a family friend to meet us at the hospital.”

“Okay Dr. Reid, I have EMT’s on the way. How far apart are your contractions?”

“I’ve only had 2, but I’ve been sick all day just like my doctor said I would be,” he lays down in Jack’s bed, his hands shaking.

“Papa?” Jack comes back in the room. “Aunt Garcia said she’ll meet us there. She also said she’s calling Daddy.” He sits on the bed next to Spencer.

“Good job Jack,” Spencer says, feeling another contraction come on. He cries out in pain, having a hard time holding it back. Jack pats him on the shoulder and takes the cell phone from his hands.

“Is this 911?” Jack asks.

“Yes honey, is your Daddy okay?”

Jack looks at Spencer. “Papa is hurt. Are you coming? My Auntie is going to be at the hospital.”

“We’re coming hon, we are on our way. Tell your Papa he is going to be okay.”

Jack looks at Spencer. “Don’t be scared Papa. You’re going to be okay.”

Spencer tries to breathe through the contraction, cursing the fact that he refused male Lamaze classes. They were an hour away and he always thought he’d be first put on bed rest and then the delivery would be scheduled and he would never really need them. “You’re such a strong kid Jack. I’m sorry if I’m scaring you.”

“You’re not scary, Papa. The 911 person said you are going to be okay.”

“I need the phone back, you have to go unlock the door okay? They need to be able to get in.” Spencer says.

“I can be brave!” Jack gets up and runs out of the room.

“Dr. Reid,” the dispatcher says. “You’ve got a smart little boy there.”

“Yeah,” Spencer pants. “I do.”

“Stay on the line until the EMT’s arrive, okay? How are you doing otherwise?”

After making silly chit-chat about the weather for three more minutes, Spencer hears Jack open the door for the EMT’s. When they arrive to his bedroom, Jack is right there by his side.

As the EMT’s load him on the gurney in the back of the ambulance and let Jack ride shotgun, and even let him hit the siren, Spencer learns something about being in a family. He learns how to trust.

 

PART 3

Title:  Crazy Amazing

Rating: FRT/FRM

Pairing: Reid/Hotch. Canon couples JJ/Will and Garcia/Kevin

Summary: Spencer Reid is pregnant, and his husband Aaron Hotchner is over the moon. The problem is, Spencer never really learned how to be in a family. He’s about to get a crash course.

Beta: None. Ah well. All mistakes are mine.

ConCrit:  Better than watching Reid suck on a lollipop (and that was pretty darned good)

SPOILERS:  None really.

*THIS IS MPREG. Pregnant male. If you don’t like this, then don’t read it. I don’t blame you, it’s weird. Due to post-size limits, the links for the other parts are at the bottom of the entry (this is meant to be a one-shot. Granted, a long one-shot, but still).

Thanks to rebootuniverse for being excited about this.

~~~

Disclaimer:  I don’t own any rights or trademarks to Criminal Minds, the FBI, CBS or any of the characters within.  No infringements of these copyrights are intended.  Any similarities between original characters therein are a coincidence.  I make no profit from the following fictional story.  (Fictional, maybe, but I swear this happened all in my head).

~~~

SSA Dr. Spencer Reid is pregnant.

Fifty years ago, it was a shocking new mutation in human evolution. Males were being born with the ability to conceive and carry a fetus to full term, delivering a healthy infant via c-section. To this day, scientists are not quite sure exactly how this process works. Current studies show a permeable membrane in the rectum, located near the prostate. This membrane goes through a cycle akin to the female menstrual cycle but without the bleeding. At certain times in what is called the male cycle (or man-strual cycle in common vernacular), this membrane can be activated by proteins and trigger the conception process. Now, in 2010, male pregnancy accounts for nearly a third of all reported pregnancies in the world. However, only about 30% of those pregnancies are carried to term. The miscarriage rate is nearly 50%, and abortion rates account for around 20%. Nearly all babies birthed by men are born between 32 and 37 weeks, averaging a month premature compared to infants birthed by females. Luckily, birth defect rates are only 10% higher than female pregnancies, and it seems to go down every year.

But no matter how much Spencer knows about male pregnancy, it doesn’t help. Because he knows nothing about being in a real family.

Spencer and Aaron didn’t realize their mutual attraction to each other until after Gideon left the FBI. Aaron was still married, albeit unhappily. He loved the idea of being married more than he loved the bride, and it always made him feel guilty that he used Haley. But he never regretted having Jack. Spencer always suspected Aaron wanted more children, but they never talked about it. Even when Aaron would bring up topics about his life with Haley, Spencer didn’t feel comfortable ever asking about it. He always felt like it would be hard for Aaron to explain, and even harder for him to understand. Until Aaron Hotchner, Spencer had never been in love. He wasn’t a virgin when they started seeing each other, not by a long shot. But love was something Aaron taught him.

Of course Spencer loved Jack. After Aaron’s divorce, he told Haley about their relationship. She was angry with Aaron, but was always cordial to Spencer, supposing that Aaron was just using Spencer the way he used her. Jack adored him and as long as Jack was happy, Haley bit her tongue. Spencer wasn’t always the greatest when it came to co-parenting. Even though Haley and Aaron both never expected him to step up to the plate, once you are living with your partner who has a child, you become a co-parent regardless of intentions. Spencer found that he was good at playing with the boy. He could have his own childhood simultaneously, the one he didn’t have as a kid. He could get lost with toy trucks and cars. When they played with toy dinosaurs and Jack’s stegosaurus ate Spencer’s tyrannosaurus rex, Spencer didn’t stop him to explain why that wouldn’t happen in reality. He just had fun. He would never admit it out loud, but there are times when Aaron comes to get Jack ready for bed and Spencer mourns having to stop playing and put the toys away.

Spencer wasn’t good at enforcing rules. When he was a kid, he made and followed his own rules at home. When Jack throws a fit or refuses to wash his hands after using the bathroom, Spencer just huffs and walks away, busying himself with a book or paperwork. Spencer wasn’t good at when Jack fell down and needed a band-aid and a kiss to a bruised knee or elbow. The kiss didn’t do any good, and it just annoyed Spencer and he refused to do it.

Spencer wasn’t comfortable when Jack had a nightmare and needed to be rocked to sleep, or would crawl into bed with them during a thunderstorm. He didn’t reach Jack bedtime stories or tuck him in unless Aaron wasn’t home, which was rare when they were in town. Even if he’s not done, he comes home to tuck Jack in and goes back to Quantico.

Spencer doesn’t mind cleaning or doing laundry. He’s perfectly content dusting, vacuuming, washing the windows, grocery shopping (alone, with Jack it’s too stressful), and running other errands. Spencer is a decent cook (because cooking is mostly about chemistry and following instructions), and before he was shot in the knee, he would wake up early to shovel the walkways during the winter before they left for the office.

But he knows nothing about being a father.

So when Aaron finally walks in the door at 11:02pm, Spencer has the laundry done, the dishes put away. He had showered, brushed his teeth, replaced his contacts with his glasses and even turned down the bed for them both. But he still hasn’t figured out how to tell his husband, for all intents and purposes, that they are going to be having another child.

“You’re still awake,” Aaron says, kicking off his shoes before sitting next to Spencer and pulling him into a kiss. “Waiting up for me?”

“I’m pregnant,” Spencer blurts into Aaron’s mouth. That’s not how he wanted it to go at all but considering he didn’t have a plan in the first place he supposes that at least he said it.

“You’re pregnant?” Aaron pulls back, not letting his arms leave their position around his lover’s torso. “You sure?”

“That’s what my appointment was about. I’ve bee feeling dizzy and tired lately and I thought perhaps I was developing a blood sugar problem. He ran the tests and sure enough, I’m pregnant. Ten weeks already.” It’s also common for men to find they are pregnant later in the first trimester, since they have no period to miss.

“Is the baby okay? Did you have a sonogram? Do they want to schedule an amniocentesis? Are you taking prenatal vitamins? Have you been screened for gestational diabetes?” Jack is almost six, but Aaron remembers everything Haley went through with her pregnancy.

“Aaron, I’m already feeling nervous and upset and just plain old weird,” Spencer huffs. “You’re not helping.” And he really isn’t. While Spencer knows he loves Aaron, and he is still learning how to be a husband.

“Sorry Spence,” Aaron reaches up to run a hand through Spencer’s soft, damp hair. “I just want to make sure you are taking care of the both of you.”

“To answer your questions, yes, the baby is okay. I have a sonogram scheduled at the Male Pregnancy Center in Georgetown on Monday, since it’s a federal holiday and barring any cases we’ll have the day off. At that time, the doctor wants to perform the amniocentesis,” Spencer shudders, remembering what he told him about the procedure. In a healthy female pregnancy, it’s almost unnecessary. But with high-risk pregnancies it’s almost standard. “I’ve already been to the pharmacy to pick up the prescribed male prenatal vitamins and yes, I took some this evening. And the blood test revealed no indications of gestational diabetes, but that doesn’t mean I won’t get it.”

“I can’t believe we’re having a baby, this is incredible.” Aaron kisses Spencer. “I’m so excited.”

“That makes one of us,” Spencer gets up and walks towards the bedroom, Aaron following behind.

“I know how you are with Jack, the things you feel comfortable doing and the things you don’t get, I’ve watched you two interact enough,” Aaron takes off his tie and begins to undress. “But you are going to be great at being father.”

“Don’t say that just because it’s the kind of thing you’re supposed to say,” Spencer says, crawling into bed. “I’m certainly not going to be the worst father, but great?”

“Spence, I had no idea how to be a father,” Aaron disappears into the attached bathroom, leaving the door open while he prepares for bed. “None at all. I read the books and everything and yet when I met Jack things fell into place.” He pauses to brush his teeth before coming into the bedroom. “Of course I put on diapers wrong and made formula too hot or too cold at first, but that stuff you’ll learn. You’ll meet that baby and you’ll want to kiss ouchies and read bedtime stories and cuddle in bed under the covers. You’ll also want to scream in frustration, lack of sleep, and the ever-increasing laundry pile.”

“What about schizophrenia?” Spencer asks, for the first time letting himself ‘go there’ in his head. “What if I pass it down?”

“Then you do, and it will be something we’ll have to be prepared for,” Aaron puts on sleeping clothes and climbs into bed. “I hope it’s a girl.”

“A girl?” Spencer yawns. “I haven’t even thought about boy or girl.”

“I think between your big doe eyes and long hair and my skin tone we’d have a beautiful daughter.” Aaron reaches over to turn off the lamp. “Or a handsome son.”

“We have to tell the team,” Spencer says, eyes wide open in the dark. He was so worried about telling Aaron that he hadn’t even thought about telling the team.

Aaron and Spencer were ‘out’ to the team, since the divorce. Spencer still keeps his apartment even though he lives with Aaron, because according to the FBI they are both single. Two agents of the same rank engaging in a consensual sexual relationship is a big enough hassle to overcome (although with the proper paperwork and psychological evaluation it is allowed on a case by case basis), but relationships between superior and subordinate is not allowed. Now they are going to be having a baby together, which means both agents will be listed as biological parents would raise flags and soon one or both agents would be transferred, if not asked to resign.

“Of course. And don’t worry about Strauss. Rossi has a big favor to call in with her.” Aaron yawns.

“Big enough? And how did you know what I was thinking about?”

“You live with a genius long enough you pick up a few things,” Aaron holds Spencer close, suppressing the urge to touch his belly where the baby bump is so far absent. He knows that Spencer is self-conscious about his body, even with him. That’s something Aaron’s going to have to mentally prepare for as Spencer’s body changes. “And yes, it’s big enough. If you promise not to tell…”

“I do.”

“When Rossi was just starting the BAU, Strauss wanted in. He took her on as a trainee in profiling, but she couldn’t stomach being in the field. Rossi wanted to bounce her out, but she had friends up top. She did something that I’m sure now she wishes she hadn’t and thinks nobody else knows.”

“She slept with Rossi?” Spencer asks, his voice now soft with sleepiness.

“For about six months, give or take,” Aaron laughs. “To this day, Rossi’s been hovering it over her head ever-so-slightly, but he hasn’t threatened to make that information knowledge. See, in the FBI there is a double standard. A male agent sleeping around and he’s a ladies’ man. A woman sleeps around and she’s just doing it to get what she wants. If that information leaked—even as a rumor—it would ruin her career.”

“Rossi wouldn’t do that, he has more integrity.”

“We know that, but she doesn’t. It’s cruel, and so is not letting two people who love each other do their jobs while raising a family,” Aaron kisses Spencer’s forehead. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Spencer learns something about being in a family. He learns that when you are scared or overwhelmed, they will somehow know what to say to calm you down.

~

Fourteen Weeks Pregnant

“Spence, what is taking you so long? We are running late as it is,” Aaron says, walking into the bathroom to check on his husband.

“I’m showing,” Spencer says with astonishment. He is standing in front of the full-length mirror in the bathroom. He’s wearing only his Daffy Duck boxer shorts—a birthday present from Jack—and examining the bump in his otherwise lithe frame. “I’m showing.”

“I told you I could tell a week ago,” Aaron says, pressing a kiss to Spencer’s cheek.

“Did you know that during a first pregnancy, the body isn’t stretched out. That’s why it takes longer to start showing.”

Aaron doesn’t bother to tell Spencer he knows this already, because he knows Spencer finds comforts in facts. “I think you look beautiful.”

“Blah blah blah,” Spencer turns around and walks into the bedroom, reaching for his clothes. “I’m glad I already purchased maternity pants.”

Due to male pregnancy on the rise, there are hundreds of on-line shops that specialize in male maternity clothing. Aaron now knows this, since a few weeks ago Spencer was downright pissy about trying to find maternity pants that fit his current style. “At least your sweaters will still fit for a long time, since you always buy them big. This weekend we can drive to Annapolis to that male maternity outlet and buy for the next few months.”

“We can’t. Unless we are on a case, we have Jack this weekend.” Spencer pulls on his elastic-waist khaki pants. “The only thing worse than taking me shopping for clothes is taking him.”

“Okay, we’ll find time soon,” Aaron hands Spencer his navy button-down shirt and teal cardigan. “But hurry up, we’re going to be late.”

“So we’re telling the team today about the baby?”

“I have a feeling Garcia’s head is going to explode,” Hotch says. “You’ve filled out all your paperwork for paternity leave, I’ve signed off on it and I’ve already filled my recommendation to let you travel with the team until you’re unable to as long as you promise to stay at the stations and go back to the hotel when your superior tells you to.”

“Right, right,” Reid mutters.

“And eat right and not do anything stupid. You get to travel, but you aren’t going out into the field,” Hotch reminds him. “Ignoring the fact that I’m the father of that bundle of joy, I’m your boss and I will not have a member of my team putting their health at stake for this job, got it?”

Reid cringes a bit at his words. I’m the father. “Yes sir.”

As Spencer puts on his tie and finds his bag, he learns something about being in a family. That family will always be there for you, no matter how annoying or overbearing.

~

Eighteen Weeks Pregnant

Spencer’s nervous. This is one of those ‘father’ moments that terrify him. He’s in the kitchen, taking a tray of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. He doesn’t bake too often, but he felt that tonight was a good excuse. Besides, he was craving cookies so bad all day he thought he’d lose his mind.

As he scrapes the cookies off the pan and onto a plate, he hears the door to the garage open and shoes thunk ka-thunking against the baseboard near the shoe rack. “SPENCER!” Jack screams, running into the kitchen. “I smelt the cookies in the garage!”

“Would you like one? Fresh out of the oven,” Spencer says, grabbing him a napkin and a cookie, shoving a second cookie into his own mouth. “I will pour you a glass of milk.”

“Thank you,” Jack says, climbing onto one of the bar stools at the kitchen island. “Mommy and Daddy took me to McDonalds for dinner! I got to play on the slide!”

“Cool,” Spencer nods, handing Jack a glass of milk and then pouring his own. He knows Aaron told Haley tonight about their upcoming bundle of joy. Tonight they were going to tell Jack. Up until now, Spencer has been able to somewhat conceal his pregnancy, and Jack never questioned Spencer’s increasing waistline. Aaron wanted to tell Jack right away, but Spencer wanted to wait until they found out the sex of the baby. Miscarriage rates go down significantly after eighteen weeks. Explaining a pregnancy to a child is difficult, explaining a miscarriage is ever harder. Since this afternoon was the sonogram, they decided not to put it off any further.

Aaron walks into the room, holding a white paper bag out to Spencer. “Two orders of large fries, extra salt, and a ten-piece chicken nugget with honey dip.”

Spencer grabs the bag like a starving dog. “I so love you right now.” He opens the bag and grabs several fries, shoving them in his mouth.

“You ate a cookie before dinner, Spencer,” Jack chastises in his adorable way. “That’s naughty.”

“Jack, Spencer and I wanted to talk to you,” Aaron pulls up a chair, grabbing a cookie for himself. “Do you have any kids in school who have Daddies who are having babies?”

“Dameon’s Daddy is out to here!” Jack gestures with his hands. “Dameon says his Daddy is having a little brother for him!”

Both Aaron and Spencer smile. Jack is young enough that male pregnancy is becoming something he has seen several times before. “Spencer’s having a baby.”

Jack stops chewing his cookie and looks at Spencer’s belly. “Really? I thought you were getting fat.”

Spencer can’t help but laugh. When Morgan called him fat last week on the jet, he resigned himself to curling up on the couch and bawling, refusing to let Hotch or anybody else comfort him.

“Why did you think that?” Aaron asks, barely containing his own giggles.

“Because he eats all the time!” Jack replies, as if the answer was so obvious that the question itself was stupid.

“I have to eat to nourish the baby,” Spencer says. “I do eat a lot of comfort food and junk food. The hormone levels in my body that are helping grow the baby cause me to feel upset sometimes, and eating fries and cookies for dinner makes me happy. But I do eat a lot of healthy foods too.”

Jack shakes his head and looks to Aaron. “There he goes again.”

“You’ve been training him to work against me!” Spencer accuses Aaron, digging in the bag for his chicken nuggets.

“I get a little brother just like Dameon!” Jack squeals. “Can we name him Ralphie? I like the name Ralphie.”

Spencer bites his lip and looks to Aaron before answering. “Jack, you are going to have a little sister.”

“A SISTER?” Jack jumps off the bar stool. “I’M HAVING A SISTER! Can we dress her in a pink dress?”

“Tell you what kiddo,” Aaron puts a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Before she comes, you and I can go shopping for presents for her.”

“I wanna buy her a baby doll and dress and a crown!” Jack approaches Spencer and points to his belly. “She’s in there right now?”

Spencer nods. “Yes she is. Do you want to touch her?”

Jack nods nervously and reaches out his hand to touch Spencer’s belly. After a few moments, he leans in to put his ear against his stomach. “Hi baby, I’m your brother Jack. I hope you like baby dolls.”

Aaron grabs an envelope off the counter and pulls out the sonogram. “This is what the baby looks like inside Spencer.”

Jack grabs the picture with his free hand, not leaving Spencer’s stomach. “Looks weird.”

It isn’t until Aaron distracts Jack with a second cookie that Spencer realizes he’s been crying. He wipes his tears on his sleeve and looks at Jack, talking about why the baby should get to sleep in his room when she arrives and how it’s okay if she keeps him awake at night and listing all of the toys he wants to share with her.

Spencer learns that a child’s enthusiasm is infectious.

~

Twenty-two Weeks Pregnant

“Reid?” Hotch looks across the St. Paul Police Department’s conference room at his husband. “When did you last eat something?”

Spencer looks up from the file on the desk in front of him. “What? I ate.”

“You ate at breakfast, anything since?”

Spencer looks at the clock and notices that breakfast was nine hours ago. “I’ll go find something in the kitchenette.” He gets up, using the back of the chair to help him into a standing position. Being such a thin man, he’s showing beyond his weeks. Now when the team arrives to a location, he gets his share of looks. Even though you can see at least one pregnant man at a fair or mall or somewhere else where a lot of people converge, it’s not exactly a daily occurrence.

“We’re at a stalemate anyway, just reading over cases and re-interviewing people. Why don’t you go to a restaurant and get a real meal? Then you could take a nap at the hotel and I’ll call you if we need you.” Aaron sighs. “I promise I’ll call.”

“But…”

“Spencer.” Aaron gives his husband that look.

“Why can’t you trust me to do my job, Hotch? I can take care of myself,” Spencer grabs his things and slams his way out the door, past Morgan.

“Everything okay Hotch?” Morgan asks, coming into the conference room.

Aaron shakes his head. “I had to pull the husband card, force him to go eat a real meal. He’s pissed.”

“As well he should be. I mean, he’s feeling out of his element, he’s trying to work with a lover who is quite obviously struggling to both take care of him and be his boss, not to mention at every case we get, someone makes a crack about him. People stare, strangers at the coffee shop want to touch his belly without asking and he’s pissed.” Morgan sits down.

“He told you all this?”

“Yeah, he was afraid that you’d think he was complaining,” Morgan opens the file in front of him. “He said you had enough to worry about without having to be his sole confidant.”

Aaron cracks a smile. “Good thing he has you.”

“HOTCH!” Rossi and Prentiss come running in. “We got another phone call, this time from a payphone. Garcia triangulated it.”

Aaron nods. “Let’s go.”

~

PART 2