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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
- 8
- 9
- 10
Nine Years Old

“Aaron!” Reid cried, bouncing up and down on the bed beside the sleeping man. “Wake up, Aaron! We’re going to the Aquarium!” The man didn’t move. The child frowned and poked him. “Aaron. Aaron? AARON!!!”

His response was a grunting snore. Reid sucked in a breath and puffed up, pouting. Then he grinned. He stuck a finger into his mouth, got it nice and wet, and then stuck it into Hotch’s ear, twisting it around.

“AAAH!!!” Hotch howled, jerking awake and sitting straight up in bed, eyes wide in horror. Then, grimacing, he stuck his finger into his ear and wiggled it furiously. “Dammit!”

“Morning!” Reid sang. Hotch turned and gave the little boy a glare. The child just grinned with his large front teeth.

“What the hell was that for?!” Hotch demanded to know. The child chuckled at hic caretaker’s annoyance.

“Time to get up!”

“Reid… I’m tired. I was up late.”

“we’re going to the Aquarium!” Reid announced, as if this justified everything. Hotch stared at him, then just sighed.

“… Alright, alright…”

“YEAH!” Reid cheered in triumph, and scampered from the room in his large night shirt.

“Get dressed!” Hotch called after him, stumbling from bed and into the bathroom to shave and dress.

He came downstairs twenty minutes later where he found Reid eating a… disturbingly large bowl of Lucky Charms and watching the History Channel. Amused, Hotch made himself an omelet and joined Reid on the sofa, watching a documentary on Genghis Khan.

When they were done with breakfast, Hotch washed the dishes while Reid went to try on shoes. When he was done, Hotch checked to make sure that they were not too big, but not too small, allowing room for growth over the day, though most of Reid’s growth happened at night while he slept. Then he got into his own shoes, grabbed his keys and they headed to the garage.

There was a brief debate filled with statistics over where Reid should sit; he wanted to sit up front but Hotch insisted that for safety, he sit in the back. And then when Reid finally gave in, they were on their way.

It was already raining, and Hotch found the classical music with the rain to be quite soothing. Every now and then he glanced back at the child he was transporting, who was humming along with the music. He grinned when he caught him pretending like he was conducting an orchestra.

“Can I learn how to play the violin?” Reid suddenly piped up. Hotch blinked at that.

“Uh… sure. You can do whatever you want, buddy.”

“Cool.” Reid said, and then turned to look out the window. Hotch blinked again. Apparently the conversation was over as soon as it had started… he just smiled and shook his head at the child’s antics.

The drive into DC was wet and dreary, but fortunately rush hour was over and most people were staying off of the road due to the weather.

Finally, they arrived at the Washington DC National Aquarium, and to Hotch’s amusement, Reid had plastered himself to the window to stare eagerly at the building.

Hotch parked and got out the umbrella, then got out of the car and hurried around to the other side. There, he opened and door and scooped up the nine year old Spencer Reid (“Aaron! I can walk myself!”), closing the door of the car with his hip and carrying the boy across the parking lot and into the building. He set Reid down and closed the umbrella, shaking it out and then slipping it into the plastic sleeve that the aquarium provided for people so that the umbrellas wouldn’t drop all over the floor, leaving it wet and slippery.

Then, holding the umbrella in one hand and Reid’s little fingers in the other, he walked up to the admissions desk to pick up the tickets that Garcia had purchased for them. And finally, they were approaching the first exhibit. Reid pulled his hand out of Hotch’s and ran ahead, skidding to a stop at the large information plaque.

Hotch grinned as he watched his young charge run a finger down the information plaque, then turn and grin up at him, obviously pleased with the information.

“Well?” Hotch asked after a moment. “You gonna tell me about the fish in here?” And he lifted the nine year old up into his arms so that they were both staring into the tank on the same level.

“Piranhas!” Reid announced. “They’re omnivorous fish from the Amazon! There are anywhere from 30 to 60 species, but the exact number is debatable. The piranha’s reputation is actually very misleading. While they are hunters, they are also scavengers, and they don’t normally strip a carcass to the bone in seconds. That idea actually came from President Roosevelt. When he visited South America, the locals threw a cow into a portion of the river that had been sectioned off with nets. The piranhas there had been starved, so of course they ate the cow, but Roosevelt was led to believe that’s how they were all the time. So of course he wrote that in a book which the whole world read, so now people think of piranhas as violent eating machines.”

“That’s very interesting, Spencer.” Hotch said, smiling as he walked down the length of the tank, Reid in his arms. Then, he blinked. Reid was staring at him, arms around his neck. “What is it?” He asked. Reid paused, then leaned in and hugged the man.

“I love you.” Came the soft sigh. Hotch blinked several times then smiled and hugged the child tightly.

“I love you too, buddy.” He said, turning and kissing the chocolate strands of hair. Then, he set Reid down on the floor and held his little hand. And so they went through the aquarium. Reid would give Hotch a list of facts about nearly every single creature in the place, and Hotch found himself smiling the entire time. When they finished with the aquarium, it was time for lunch. It was still raining, so the pair trotted out to the car under the umbrella, and Hotch asked Reid where he wanted to eat for lunch.

They ended up at the Olive Garden, where Reid gave Hotch a lecture on how healthy salad was for the human body, but he still wouldn’t eat it. Hotch was amused to no end. And then when their entrée arrived, Hotch (and the amused elderly couple at the table next to them) was educated on the history of the meatball. Once they finished, Hotch took Reid home. He built a fire in the fireplace, made some hot chocolate, and then the pair curled up on the love seat together, wrapped up in a warm blanket, and Hotch relaxed while Reid read to him from the collective works of Edgar Allen Poe. This eventually progressed into a nap.

Hotch awoke to the sound of the back door opening. He blinked and watched as his nine year old charge slipped outside. He frowned. It was raining! He stood and went to the window, staring out. And he smiled. Reid was staring up at the sky, grinning as the rain fell on his face. Then he turned and began to jump from puddle to puddle, before crawling over to the little pond they had in their backyard and staring into it. Then he suddenly thrust a hand in, and then, toppled head over heels INTO the little pond.

“Spencer!!!” Hotch yelped, and ran outside into the rain. He found Reid grinning in the water. He was able to stand, but the bond was quite deep; it was up to his neck. “what are you DOING?!”

“I caught him!” Reid announced. And there, in his hands being held over the water, was a very fat, and very upset, frog. “He’s an American Bullfrog!!!”

“… He’s a big one.” Hotch admitted, thoroughly soaked by this time. “You uh… you wanna come out of there?” And he helped Reid splash out of the little stone pond, then stared at the frog clutched in his hands.

“What on EARTH are you boys up to!?” Hotch and Reid turned. Garcia was standing there in the open doorway, the rest of the team crowded in behind her.

“Look!!!” Reid announced, holding up the frog. Prentiss let out a shriek.

“Oh!!! Oh gross!” And then, to everyone’s shock, the frog opened his mouth, and screamed. Prentiss leapt back.

"What's wrong? Are you scared of it?" Reid asked, and approached.

"Spencer Reid, don't you DARE!!!" Prentiss snapped, raising a finger in warning. But the boy just grinned, and advanced on her with the screaming bullfrog. Morgan was beside himself laughing as Prentiss bolted. He stared after her.

“Come on, Princess, it’s only a frog. It won’t hurt you!” He called.

“Derek Morgan, do NOT call me that.” Prentiss snapped from where she had taken refuge behind the sofa. “That is NOT a frog, that’s a mutant. It’s HUGE!!!”

“It’s an American Bullfrog.” Reid announced. “This one is probably a male. The females get larger, with a body length reaching up to eight inches.”

“that is a HELLUVA lot more than eight inches.” Prentiss argued.

“YOU’RE including the legs. This one is only about six inches.” Reid stated, calmly. “The males are known for making the classic bullfrog noise, but they will both scream if they’re caught.” And he squeezed the frog, making it scream again. As it did, Reid turned and thrust it into Morgan’s face.

“Oh, fucking HELL!!!” Morgan yelped, stumbling backwards in a panic as the screaming frog came right at him. He tripped on his own feet and toppled back on the floor. Reid, Garcia and JJ laughed.

But then, the frog thrashed and Reid gasped. The frog fell to the floor with a plop, and immediately leapt towards Morgan. The man let out a high pitched scream and scrambled backwards. The frog immediately changed directions and headed for Rossi.

“Dave! Catch it!” Hotch cried from the doorway.

“… I am NOT touching that thing.” Rossi snorted, calmly stepping out of the frog’s path and watching it leap around the back of the sofa.

“Whoaa!!!” Emily blurted, and ran around the couch. JJ went after the frog, but the frog was always three jumps ahead of her. Hotch rushed in and tried to head it off, but it leapt up onto the arm of the sofa where Prentiss had taken refuge.

“SHIT!!! Shit shit shit!!!” she gasped, getting up and running to hide behind Rossi, then deciding not to trust him, ran halfway up the stairs and perched herself there to watch the chaos as JJ and Hotch tried to catch the frightened amphibian. Reid was now laughing hysterically.

“Laugh it up, short stuff.” Morgan snorted. “YOU brought the thing in here, think you can help get it out?”

But then, Reid’s Siamese cat, Artemis, leapt out of nowhere and pounced the frog. The frog screamed. Artemis yowled, and she and Apollo both charged up the stairs in a frightened panic. Garcia was grinning and snapping pictured right and left. Rossi casually made his way over to the little bar near the hallway to the garage, and poured himself a scotch, then sat down in the arm chair to watch the show.

“Oh, nice Rossi.” Morgan snorted, and the veteran profiler just shrugged. Then, Hotch pounced.

“GOTCHA!!” He blurted, and the frog started screaming again. Hotch emerged, the frog clutched in his fists.

“WAIT!!!” Garcia said as he headed outside. “Kneel down and let me get a picture with you and Junior G Man.”

“Outside.” Hotch insisted, heading out the door. Reid bounced after him, still laughing. Garcia had the two stand in front of the pond, and she snapped a picture that in her opinion was priceless. A very disgruntled Aaron Hotchner holding a screaming frog in his hands, with a giggling nine year old Spencer Reid by his side, both of them soaking wet. She also took pictures as Hotch handed the frog off to Reid, who christened him ‘Walter’, and then let him go in their little pond, the frog gratefully darting to the bottom and disappearing from view.

Hotch, Reid and Garcia went back inside, and after reassuring her that the frog was gone, Prentiss came down the stairs.

“… You are really THAT scared of frogs?” Morgan teased with a grin.

“Yeah, cuz falling over and screaming like a girl wasn’t the most sissy move for you EVER.” She snapped back, and Morgan glared.

“You two are SOAKED.” Garcia laughed, looking at Hotch and Reid.

“You two go get a warm bath.” JJ said with a smile. “I’ll make you some dinner.”

“Let’s call out for pizza.” Morgan suggested.

“YEAH!!!” Reid gasped, eagerly.

“Alright. Pizza it is, then.” Hotch said. “Come on, go take a shower and get into your pajamas.” And he guided Reid to Jack’s room, and then he headed upstairs to do the same. Morgan placed the order for the Pizza, and Garcia checked to see what was Pay-Per-View while Rossi checked to see what else Hotch stocked in his liquor cabinet.

Reid appeared first, wearing a set of Batman pajamas, and he ran across the room and made a flying leap.

“MORGAN!!!”

“WHOA!!!” Morgan yelped, managing to catch the child just before he landed harshly on his lap. “Hey kid.” And he ruffled Reid’s wet and already messy hair. “Are you being good for Hotch?”

“Yeah.”

“… are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“… cuz… I’m not sure letting that frog loose in the house counts as being good.”

“It was an accident!” Reid insisted.

“Uh huh… sure.” Morgan drawled.

“It WAS!!!” Reid insisted, now looking anxious.

“Morgan, don’t get him upset.” JJ scolded, walking over and sitting down next to her teammate, pulling Reid into her lap. Reid snuggled down, resting his head on her shoulder and giving Morgan a look. JJ just stroked his hair and rocked him slightly. Hotch appeared a few minutes later in flannel pants and a plain gray T-shirt.

“He’s being mean to me.” Reid immediatelys aid, pointing at Morgan.

“Whah?! Me?!” Morgan blurted, looking back and forth between Reid and Hotch with wide eyes. “I am NOT!!!” But to his dismay, Hotch leveled a glare on him. “Hotch, I’m NOT!!!” Hotch then turned a scrutinizing look onto Reid. Reid blinked, then slowly grinned.

“Spencer, that’s not funny.” Hotch said firmly.

“Yes it is.” Reid giggled, and Morgan glared at him.

“I liked you better when you were really little.” He snapped, and Reid gave him a look that could only be described as ‘sad puppy in the rain’.

“… he is trouble.” Prentiss said with a wry grin.

“Yes he is.” Hotch snorted, heading into the kitchen. Reid looked up at JJ with a pathetic look. She just smiled.

“We all love you, Spence.” She told him, smoothing his hair out of his face. “Where are your glasses?”

“They fell off in the pond.” Reid said.

“I’ll get the new pair!” Garcia sang, heading over to the box on a nearby shelf. “How old are you honey?”

“Twenty five.” Reid answered, and everyone stared at him. He blinked, then slouched down, pouting. “Nine.”

“Thank you.” Garcia said, plucking out a pair of glasses from when he was eleven, since the glasses from when he was ten were now at the bottom of the little pond. She passed him the glasses, and he put them on. “How are those, sweet cheeks?”

“They’ll do for now.” Reid shrugged, snuggling back into JJ’s arms. She grinned up at Garcia, who snapped a picture of them.

Then, there was a knock on the door.

“Rossi. You gonna get that?” Morgan asked.

“What? Why?”

“You’re the rich guy out of all of us.” Morgan pointed out with a grin. Rossi shot him a withering glare, but then he found Prentiss, JJ and Garcia all staring at him with sweet smiles, batting their eyes. And then came Reid’s eyes. Rossi threw his hands up into the air, storming towards the door, cursing in Italian the whole way. The delivery boy stood wide eyed as Rossi flung open the door, took the pizzas (handing them off to Hotch, who was trying not to laugh) and started ruffling through his wallet. His muttering had nearly become shouting at this point, most everything directed over his shoulder at the team in the living room. The team looked baffled but amused, except for Emily who actually understood what he was saying. She was all out grinning and shaking in silent laughter. Rossi’s Italian rant finally reached its crescendo, and then he told the delivery boy to ‘have a good night’ and slammed the door, returning to the living room now muttering under his breath again.

“Mmmm!!!” Reid hummed as he inhaled his pizza. “Thank you, Dave!!!” Rossi paused and looked at the little boy, then sighed and drooped, offering him a smile.

“You’re welcome, kiddo.”

“Oho…” Garcia laughed.

“YOU shut your mouth.”

“I didn’t say anything, Agent Rossi.”

“No, but you were thinking it.”

“Not just about you.”

“What do you mean?” Rossi asked, and Garcia grinned.

“Baby genius has us ALL wrapped around his little finger.” Garcia announced, and Hotch grunted in response. Reid just giggled and slurped the soda Hotch had allowed him to have.

“Okay.” Emily said from where she stood by the DVD’s. “What do you guys want to watch?”

“Zorro!” Reid cheered.

“Butter Cream has spoken!” Garcia announced, bringing her fist down on the coffee table like a gavel. Emily blinked, but then shrugged and grabbed ‘The Mask of Zorro’ and popped it into the DVD player and sat down to watch. As the movie’s opening credits began, Reid was staring at the TV with his eyes wide and eager. When the ending credits began to roll, he was curled up in Rossi’s lap, fast asleep. Rossi was looking oddly pleased, smiling down at the child.

“I’m going to put him to bed.” Hotch said softly, but Rossi stood, adjusting the little boy in his arms.

“I got it, Aaron.” He said, and carried Reid into Jacks’ room. The team watched him go surprised, and peered through the door, watching as Rossi flicked the covers down with his fingers and laid the nine year old down. Reid stirred slightly, looking up at Rossi through sleepy eyes. The man smiled and took off Reid’s glasses, setting them on the bedside table and tucking him in.

“Sleep tight.”

“Night…” Reid sighed, letting his brown eyes fall closed again as Rossi leaned over and kissed his forehead, then left the room, closing the door.

“Awwww…” Garcia cooed.

“Don’t.” Rossi said, pointing a finger at her. Hotch and Morgan chuckled.

“What are you doing with him tomorrow?” JJ asked as the team quietly tip-toed to the front door.

“Taking him to the zoo.” Hotch whispered back, smiling.

“Well, have fun.” JJ responded.

Garcia handed the camera back to Hotch, and said “I sent Strauss the frog picture.”

“… what?!” Hotch blurted, looking stunned.

“I sent Strauss the picture.”

“Why in God’s name would you do THAT?!” Rossi demanded to know.

“She asked me for an update on how you two were doing.” Garcia said, innocently. Hotch opened his mouth, but then sighed and shook his head.

“I’m tired. We’ll discuss it later.” And he shooed the team of the house, bidding them goodnight. Then he turned off the lights and headed up to bed, locking the door behind him.

It was time for Spencer to sleep in his own (that being Jack’s) bed...
- 8
- 9
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Growing Up Again