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Growing Up Again	By : hatochiisai Category: 1 through F > Criminal Minds Views: 21443 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, nor do I make any financial profit off of writing and posting this work.

Chapter List
- 1-Re-Birth
- 2-Age 1
- 3-Age 2
- 4-Age 3
- 5-Age 4
- 6-Age 5 & 6
- 7-Age 7
- 8-Age 8
- 9-Age 9
- 10-Age 10
- 11-Age 11
- 12-Age 12
- 13-Age 13
- 14-Age 14
- 15-Age 15
- 16-Age 16
- 17-Age 17
- 18-Age 18
- 19-Age 19
- 20-Age 20
- 21-Age 21
- 22-Age 22
- 23-Age 23
- 24-Age 24
- 25-All Grown Up
- 3
- 4
- 5
Three Years Old

“Ah’ron!” Aaron Hotchner grunted and made a face, burrowing further into the blankets. “Ah’ron!” Came the call again. It was a small, quiet voice right next to him. Then, a tiny hand came to rest on his shoulder. “Morning, Ah’ron!” Came the happy chirp. Then there was a hot breath on his cheek, followed by a little kiss. Hotch stirred and blinked open bleary eyes, looking up. A bright, shining face smiled back. He blinked, and then gave a sleepy smile in return.
“Hey…” He greeted, voice still thick with sleep. “What are you doing up so early?” The child didn’t answer the question. He just cuddled up close, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck and giving him a hug, mumbling “I luffoo!”
Hotch grinned, hugging him back. “I love you too, buddy.”
Then, little Spencer sat back and settled on the man’s lap, smiling up at him.
“How old are you today?” Hotch asked with a grin. Reid blinked. “You’re three.” Hotch answered for him, putting his hands on the little boy’s sides. “And tomorrow… You’ll be FOUR!!!” And his fingers danced over the child’s ribs, making the boy thrash and squeal in delighted giggles.
“Alright…” Hotch said, halting the tickle assault after a few moments. He moved to slide out of the bed, taking the child with him. “Let’s get your changed and dressed.” And he took him into the bathroom and removed the wet diaper. “And… I think it’s about time to switch you to these!” And he held up a pair of pull-ups. Once again, the child just blinked, owlishly. Hotch quirked a brow, and after he got no other reaction, he had the boy stand up. “Okay. Put one foot in – hold my shoulders – and now the other… there you go…” He pulled them up over Spencer’s hips. “Good job!” And he kissed the dark hair that had thankfully grown back overnight just enough to hide the Mohawk… “Now let’s get you dressed.” And a few minutes later, Reid was wearing black shorts, and a t-shirt featuring The Count from Sesame Street, surrounding by bats carrying little cards bearing numbers.
Hotch got dressed then, keeping an eye on the child as he toddled around the bathroom. Once Hotch was in jeans and sweater, he took little Spencer’s hand and the pair walked out of the bedroom. At the top of the stairs, Hotch picked up the three year old and carried him downstairs and into the living room.
“Why don’t you watch something while I make breakfast:?” He suggested. “What do you want?”
“Coffee.” Came the immediate answer, to Hotch’s amused surprise and dismay.
“What?! No!”
“I wan’ Coffee!”
“Spencer, no. You’re too young.” He said, firmly. Spencer opened his mouth, but then he blinked and closed it, putting on the darkest scowl Hotch would ever believe possible. He chuckled.
“I’ll get you juice.” He said, gently.
“NO!” Came the immediate shout.
“Spencer, don’t yell.”
“NO!!! NO JUICE!”
“Milk?”
“No! Coffee!”
“No.” Hotch said, turning on the television and putting it on PBS. Then he turned and headed into the kitchen. A few minutes later, he heard channels changing and so he poked his head out of the kitchen, peering across the foyer and into the living room. Sure enough, Spencer had managed to get his little hands onto the remote control, and was now watching a documentary on the predators of the Amazon Rainforest on Discovery Channel.
Shaking his head, Hotch sighed and went back to making breakfast. When it was ready, he collected Spencer, who readily allowed himself to be carried into the kitchen and set upon a stack of telephone books on one of the chairs. Then, he eagerly seized his fork as waffles were set down before him, already cut into tiny pieces and drizzled with syrup. He was so enthusiastic about stabbing the food onto his fork, he didn’t notice his caregiver putting a bib on him.
Hotch finally settled beside the quiet child and just smiled, watching him eat while he himself enjoyed his own waffles, eggs and sausage. After a few moments, Reid’s eyes lit up again and he pointed to Hotch’s plate.
“Want some sausage?” Hotch asked.
“Yeah!” Reid gasped, eagerly. Hotch speared a bit of sausage onto his fork and grinned at the sight of little Spencer patiently holding his mouth open, like a baby bird. He poked the sausage in and the child chewed with a loud “MMM!!!” Hotch chuckled and shook his head, offering a bit of egg next. Spencer accepted this graciously, and then went back to his own waffles for a bit before seizing his sippy cup and drinking his milk.
When they were both finished, Hotch lifted Reid to the floor and watched him trot out of the kitchen and return to his documentary. Hotch did the dishes and then went out to the living room, sitting on the sofa. Reid crawled into his lap and cuddled up to the man, popping his thumb into his mouth and sucking softly
“Hey now.” Hotch chuckled, and pulled the boy’s hand away from his face. He got a VERY loud whine in response as Reid jerked his hand back and put his thumb back where, in his opinion, it belonged. Hotch just sighed.
“Alright… but you WILL stop by age five.” He grumbled.
About five minutes before the program was to end, there was a knock on the door. Spencer sat straight up with a dramatic gasp, then turned a bright, excited smile onto Hotch.
“Seeya! Mo’gan!” He Announced.
“That’s right.” Hotch nodded, watching the child slide off of his lap and take off at a dead run. The cats, who Hotch suddenly realized he hadn’t seen since he brought infant Reid home, froze and bolted for the study… apparently, Spencer was their reason for hiding… they didn’t like small children. Hotch followed Reid, opening the door.
“Seeya!” Squealed Reid.
“Ohhhh!!! My precious little cupcake! Lookit how BIG you are!!!”
“You gonna say that every time you see him?” Morgan asked, grinning from ear to ear. Then he turned to the waving child in Garcia’s arms. “Hey, Little Man.”
“Hi.” Reid greeted with a smile, giggling as Garcia kissed his cheek.
“JJ and Emily are going to try to over soon. They wanna see him, too.” Garcia said to Hotch.
“Great.” The Unit Chief snorted, standing aside to allow the pair into his house. “We’ll have a barbecue.”
“Really?! Great! I’ll tell Em and Jayje to pick up—“
“No!” Hotch exclaimed.
“I think that was Sarcasm, Baby Girl.” Morgan chuckled, taking off his hat and surrendering it to demanding hands, watching Reid put it on. “I see his hair grew back!”
“Yes, no thanks to you.” Hotch snorted, and Garcia grinned.
“Oh-ho-ho… Burn!”
“Hey hey hey!” Morgan said, giving her a look. “Whose side are you on?!”
“Mine.” Reid Announced in a soft, but firm voice, coiling his arms around Garcia’s neck.
“Ha HA!” Garcia cheered, turning and kissing Reid’s cheek.
“Abandoned by your best friend.” Hotch said, fighting back a grin. “Do you have ANY allies now?”
“You little traitor.” Morgan snorted, giving Reid a look. Reid just gave him a mischievous grin, cuddling with Garcia.
“Any cases come up yet?” Hotch asked, as they group moved into the living room.
“Nope.” Morgan said, shaking his head. They all sat down on the sofas, and Garcia started playing peek-a-boo with Reid by pulling his (and by ‘his’ we mean ‘Morgan’s’) hat down over his eyes, and then jerking it up again with a dramatic jump and gasp.
“How’s it going?” Morgan asked, watching them.
“Fine.” Hotch said with a slight smile. “He’s… really a VERY good baby. Hardly cries, very quiet…”
“And affectionate.” Morgan nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. With the people he trusts.” Hotch chuckled. “He got upset when Strauss started talking to him. Hid in my coat.” Morgan grinned at that.
“Smart kid. But then, we knew that when he read us a book yesterday at age two.”
“It’s fun.” Hotch nodded. “Seeing Spencer at these ages.”
“Somehow, I get the feeling that it’s gonna get more and more fun as he gets older.”
“I’m sure. In two days he’ll be watching Jeopardy.” Hotch grinned.
“Party!” The two men looked over at Reid, who was staring at them, eagerly.
“what’s that, sweetums?” Garcia asked.
“J’par’dee!!!”
“… You were saying?” Morgan asked, grinning at the stunned look on Hotch’s face.
“Okay… maybe tonight…” The Unit Chief snorted, and Morgan laughed.
When Morgan and Garcia headed out, Reid darted out the front door with his cute little toddler bounce. Morgan and Garcia grinned, watching an overprotective Aaron Hotchner chase after him, and Reid let out a delighted scream, leading Hotch in circles around the large willow tree, giggling the entire time. Just as they were pulling away from the curb, they got to see the sight of little Spencer suddenly charging across the front yard, his t-shirt fluttering to the ground, and a moment later, he crawled under some shrubs and his shorts went flying a moment later. Morgan slammed on the brakes and he and Garcia stared, mouths agape, as Reid emerged from the other side of the bushes and ran through the overgrown garden of the front yard, shrieking in delighted laughter, buck naked…
Morgan and Garcia just HOWLED, and Garcia began to snap pictures to show JJ and Emily of Hotch chasing a naked toddler around his front yard, a mortified expression on his face. He stumbled around the yard, before finally getting tangled up in tendrils of ivy and falling over. A moment later, the naked toddler shuffled over, and when Hotch sat up, the child wrapped his arms around the man’s neck and hugged him, kissing his cheek.
Hotch blinked, and then a tender expression crossed his face as he gathered the child close and hugged him, kissing the top of his head. Then Hotch saw Morgan and Garcia, and the trademark SSA Hotchner Glare appeared. The pair just grinned and waved, and Hotch stood and carried Reid back into the house, picking up his shirt and shorts as he went.
“Keeper.” Garcia announced, and showed Morgan her camera, and the picture of Hotch hugging the naked baby with a loving smile.
“Nice.” Morgan chuckled, and they drove away.
Inside the house, Hotch wrestled Reid back into a pull-up and his clothes, then said, “Do you want to go play in the back yard?”
“Yeah!” Reid gasped, a happy smile on his face.
“Okay then.” Hotch replied, and he carried the little boy outside to the back yard and set him down in the grass. Reid took off running, his little legs (skinny for a three year old) carrying him as fast as they could go.
“Bunny, Ah’ron! BUNNY!!!” Hotch heard Reid announce from behind a tree. The man smiled. There was a large rabbit population in the area, and they could be seen in their yard all the time. Hotch went after Reid, and as he went around the tree, his eyes widened and he broke into a run.
“Spencer, no!” He gasped seeing Reid trying to crawl through a hole in the fence after the bunny. His head was already through. Hotch reached Reid and grabbed his hips, pulling him back.
“OW!!!” Reid yelped, and Hotch stared. He was stuck…
“Oh, you have to be joking… Hotch growled, and tugged.
“Owwie! Ah’ron!!!”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart…” Hotch groaned. “But you’re kind of stuck!”
“Want out!”
“I know, baby, I know…” Hotch said, frowning as he thought.
“Having trouble?” He heard a woman’s voice call from the other side of the fence.
“Oh…” Hotch said, straightening up and stepping onto one of the horizontal support boards of the fence, allowing him enough height to peer over the top of the fence. He looked down at his neighbor.
“Hello, Aaron.” She said with an amused grin.
“Hello, Barb.” Hotch greeted. “My uh… My cousin’s son seems to have um…”
“I saw his head pop through after the rabbit through the kitchen window.” Barb laughed. “Looks like it’s his ears that have gotten stuck. I’ll push them flat and you pull him back through.” Hotch sighed.
“Thank you, Barb.” Hotch said, and got back down on his knees behind Reid, grabbing his hips.
“ready?” He heard Barb call.
“Yeah!”
“Pull!!!” Barb shouted, and Hotch did.
“OWWIE!!!” Reid cried, squirming in his hands. “Owwie ow!!!”
“Oh dear… this isn’t working…” Hotch barely heard Barb say. Reid was crying now, struggling to get out of the fence. “He’s certainly gotten himself into a pickle… I guess there’s only one thing to do…”
“what’s that?” Hotch called, peering over the fence again as he imagined himself revving up a chainsaw and slicing through the fence to dismantle it, with Reid screaming bloody murder down on the ground. But Barb just smiled.
“I’ll go get the butter!!!” And she headed off towards the house. And so Hotch just sat and tried to comfort Spencer… at least from the neck down. When she returned, she got straight to work. She began slathering Reid’s neck, head and ears with butter, making the child throw a fit.
“Okay! Let’s try this again!”
“Ready when you are.” Hotch called back.
“… Pull!” And Hotch pulled. Reid let out a scream of protest, but a moment later, POP! He was free. He sat there in Hotch’s lap, blinking his large brown eyes in surprise.
“Thank you, Barb!”
“No problem!” She laughed on the other side of the fence, picking up her tub of butter. “Go get him into the tub!”
“Will do.” Hotch chuckled, standing and carrying Reid back into the house. “Apparently…” Hotch said as he carried a buttery baby up the stairs, “you were ALWAYS a trouble magnet, hm?”
“I’m in trouble?!” Reid gasped, suddenly looking very upset.
“No.” Hotch told him gently. “But you do get INTO trouble a lot…”
“… I’m trouble?” Reid asked, an apologetic tone in his voice.
“Yes you are.” Hotch chuckled, kissing Reid’s forehead. “And that’s why I love you.” Reid blinked, then smiled. Hotch licked his lips, chuckling at the taste of butter.
After Reid’s bath, he carried the child to the kitchen and made him some spaghetti-o’s with meatballs… Reid needed another bath after that… He was not as co-operative the second time. And after getting into a potted plant right after dinner, he was even LESS co-operative. In fact, Reid threw such a tantrum, that Hotch decided it wasn’t worth it. Instead, he looked the child in the eye and said, “Would you rather shower with me?”
“… Uh-huh…” Reid sniffled, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
“Okay then.” Hotch smiled, undressing Reid and then himself, turning on the water. Once it was warm, he carried the potting-soil-covered three year old into the large, walk in shower. Reid gasped as the spray hit him in the face, then looked at Hotch with a big grin and happy laughter. Hotch grinned and set Reid down, positioning him so that the spray fell on the toddler’s back. He soaped him up and shampooed his hair, then rinsed him off. Then Hotch bathed himself. As he did this Reid drew little pictures in the fogged up glass of the shower door, and when Hotch washed his hair, Reid sat at his feet, watching the water swirl down the drain in quiet fascination. When Hotch was finished shaving, he picked Reid up and carried him out of the shower, tossing a large towel over the child. Then he just stood and grinned at the towel, with amused toddler laughter coming from under it.
“Spencer?” He called, grinning as he dried himself off. “Where’d you go?” Reid laughed harder, and the towel wiggled a bit. “Spencer? Speeeencerrrr? Come out, come out wherever you are!” Hotch sang, pulling on his pajama pants. Reid began flailing around under the towel as Hotch pulled on a t-shirt. Then he jerked the towel down.
“Peek a boo!” Reid sang in triumph.
“There you are!” Hotch crowed enthusiastically and he picked Reid up, tossing him into the air before bringing him close to his chest and kissing his cheek. Reid cuddled close, smiling. After a moment, Hotch knelt and set Reid down, picking up the towel and drying the child off before putting him in a pair of Pull Ups and a large t-shirt that came almost to the boy’s ankles, anticipating the growth that Reid would achieve overnight.
“Alright, kiddo.” Hotch said with a smile. “Ready for bed?”
“Nuh-uh!” Reid said, shaking his head. “Don’ wanna.”
“Oh really now?” Hotch asked, amused. “Well then… do you wanna read a story first?”
“Yeah.” Reid nodded.
“Okay then.” Hotch smiled. “Let’s go down to Jack’s room and pick one out.”
And so he carried Reid down the stairs and headed over to Jack’s room. Then he knelt before the book case.
“What do you wanna read?” Hotch asked, and Reid frowned, beginning to scan titles. Hotch suddenly found himself reminded that Reid could already read.
Reid picked a book and Hotch set him down in Jack’s bed, tucking him in. Then he opened the book and began to read Reid the story about the Twiddlebugs who lived in the window boxes of Sesame Street. And by the time the story was over, Reid was fast asleep, curled around his Bedtime Bear and sucking his thumb. Smiling, Hotch leaned over and gently kissed the round cheek, before running a hand over shaggy hair and pulling the blankets up further. Then he turned off the lights, turned the night light on and left the room, heading upstairs to bed after feeding the cats, who were emerging now that little Reid was asleep…
Hotch had only been asleep for an hour when he heard soft whimpers and sniffles. He blinked his eyes open and stared blearily at the eyes peeking over the edge of the bed.
“Spencer?” He asked.
“You left me alone…” Came the tiny whimper.
“Oh… You wanna stay with me?” Hotch asked.
Nod.
“Okay… come here, baby.” Hotch sighed, lifting Reid onto the bed and letting the child cuddle close. He kissed the three year old’s forehead. “Night Spencer…”
“Night, Ah’ron…” Reid sighed, and both were asleep within moments…
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Growing Up Again