Fic: "Worst Kept Secret" by kyrdwyn [Hotchner/Reid, Rossi/Prentiss, PG-13]
Title: Worst Kept Secret
Author: kyrdwyn
Pairings: Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid; Dave Rossi/Emily Prentiss
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: everything up through Season 4 is fair game
Beta: rambleinblue
Sequel to: Blaze With the Glory and Regained Through Fire". Yes, the long awaited sequel - and you really need to read those first to have this make sense, since it directly plays off/references those stories.
This is also my entry for the criminal_prompt "5 times".
Summary: Five Ways the Team Found Out
Elle Greenaway
Despite having resigned from the FBI and the BAU three months before, Elle Greenaway couldn't resist attending the book reading David Rossi was having at the store near her apartment in New York. Sure, it might not be much use in her current job as a private security guard, but she wanted to keep up on profiling, just in case some of her other job applications panned out.
Rossi's talk was fascinating, and she almost wished she could have asked more questions than she had, but she didn't want to take up all of his time, not with the other fans (civilian fans) of his in the room. When the hour was over, she gathered up her purse, intending to purchase her copy of the book and slip out of the store.
"Elle! I thought I recognized your voice," someone behind her said. She turned quickly, blinking as Spencer Reid stood behind her, smiling. "It's good to see you," he said, reaching out and pulling her into a hug. Elle blinked again, but closed her arms around Reid, surprised to see him, and very surprised that he was hugging her. But she couldn't deny that it felt good to see someone from the BAU - someone who was genuinely happy to see her. Someone who hadn't given up on her, even when she pushed him away.
"Hey, Reid," she said, pulling back when the hug ended. "Finally getting to New York on vacation?"
Reid pushed a lock of hair behind his ears, a familiar gesture she found she'd missed, and smiled. "Yeah, finally. I'm here with my dad, though he's actually working."
"Ah! The mysterious father of Dr. Reid." Reid had mentioned his dad often, though mostly in general terms, not anything specific. "You mean I finally get to meet him?"
"Spence, ready to go?" Rossi's voice came from behind Elle, and she turned to see the legendary profiler standing behind her, smiling. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." The smile stayed on his face.
"Dad, this is Elle Greenaway."
Rossi's smile grew. "Agent Greenaway, it's a pleasure to meet you. Spencer's mentioned you several times." He held out his hand. "David Rossi, Spencer's father."
Elle blinked in surprise for the third time that evening. "You're Spencer's father?" Elle turned to Reid. "You never said anything about David Rossi being your father!"
Reid shrugged. "It was never important."
Elle gave Reid a look. "Your father was one of the founders of the BAU, and it was never important?"
"It wasn't important to Spencer doing his job," Rossi said, a slight edge in his voice.
"Besides, you ribbed me about being Gideon's protégé enough," Reid said. "Imagine if I'd admitted to being David Rossi's son? Morgan never would have let up."
Elle had to admit Reid was right. Morgan, and she, would have teased him about it mercilessly.
"Anyway, why don't you join us for dinner?" Reid asked with a hopeful smile.
"Please," Rossi added. "I'd love to get the inside scoop on some of the scrapes my son has gotten into at the BAU. Jason and Hotch seem to think I need to be protected from the details."
Elle chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure I can tell you several stories Reid doesn't want you to hear."
"I'm doomed," Reid moaned melodramatically, his hand pressing to the back of his forehead, but he winked at her.
Elle laughed. "Yes, you are, Dr. Reid." She slipped her arm into his and smiled. Rossi offered her his arm, and she walked out of the store between the two of them, smiling widely. For the first time since leaving the BAU, she felt at peace.
Penelope Garcia
"Come on in, tall, pale, and geeky!" Penelope called out, finishing typing something into her computer and spinning around as Spencer Reid entered her office.
"I'm not that pale," Reid said with a scowl that was abso-friggin-lutely adorable on him, but Penelope would never tell him that.
"Hrm," Penelope said. "But you can't deny the tall and geeky," she said. "Not that it’s a bad thing, sweetie."
"Did you have a reason for asking me to come down here?" Reid asked.
"Yes, actually. I was updating the team's emergency contact numbers, and realized that your contact number is, and pretty much always has been, David Rossi. Now his emergency contact number is your phone number. Something you wanna tell me, or do I need to start doing some serious research on the Internet?" She tapped her fuzzy pen against the keyboard threateningly.
Surprisingly, Reid reached out to push the door closed. Then he pulled out his credentials wallet and reached inside to remove a picture from behind his commission card. "You can't tell anyone," he said, looking at her with serious eyes. "I mean it. Hotch knows, Gideon knew, but you can't tell Morgan or Prentiss or JJ, or one of us will have to leave the BAU."
Penelope blinked. "Oooh-kay," she said slowly. "I promise, I won't tell anyone." Reid raised an eyebrow. "I promise."
Reid looked at her steadily, then nodded. He handed her the picture. She took it, staring at the much younger version of Reid, looking positively adorable in a tuxedo, standing next to a younger David Rossi, sans goatee, his arm around Reid and a proud smile on his face. "When was this taken?" she asked, shocked.
"Um, June of 1994. My high school graduation."
"You wore a tuxedo to your high school graduation?" Not the most important question, but the first one she thought of.
"All male Jesuit Catholic high school. All the graduates wore tuxedos."
"So why was Rossi at your graduation, then?" Penelope asked. "He looks so proud of you."
"Dad was thrilled I graduated. I had a habit of arguing with my theology teachers, ended up in detention a lot."
"Not surprising -- wait, Dad?! Rossi's your dad? That would explain the mutual emergency contact numbers but . . . you don't look anything alike!"
Reid gave her a smile. "Dad adopted me when I was about a year old. I, well," Reid shrugged and tucked a lock of hair behind his ears, "I was left in a basket on the steps of the BAU bunker when I was six months old."
Penelope felt her jaw drop. "You're kidding!"
"Nope, I was. It's a long story, and I'm sure you can find the records, but yeah, Dad, Gideon, and Ryan found me in a basket, and Dad adopted me." Reid took the picture back, smiling as he tucked it away. "Garcia," he said, the smile fading, "Dad being back in the BAU with me is on a trial basis, and the higher-ups do not want it known that we're related. I can't even call him 'Dad' when we're on the job." He let out a noise of frustration. "You know how hard it is to call him 'Rossi' or 'David'? I've called him 'Dad' since I was able to talk." He ran a hand through his hair. "I like working with him, but--"
Penelope got up and pulled Reid into a hug. "But sometimes you just want him to be your dad instead of your co-worker," she said. "I understand, sweetie. And I promise, I'll keep this a secret. Even from Morgan." She pulled back and gave Reid a kiss on the cheek, earning a blush from the younger man. "But I want pictures from your college graduations."
She had to laugh when Reid pulled those from his wallet. "I've got my Academy graduation, too," he said. "With bonus appearances by Hotch and Gideon."
"Oooo," Garcia said. "Lemme see." Reid grinned and handed them over.
Derek Morgan
"You know he's been married three times, right?" Derek looked over at the younger man in the passenger seat.
"Hm?" Reid asked, not looking up from the case file. "Our vic was only married once, and there's nothing to indicate the unsub was married at all."
Derek shook his head. "I'm not talking about the case, Reid, I'm taking about Rossi."
Reid looked over at Morgan. "That's not a secret, Morgan. I don't see why it's relevant to the case, though."
"Reid, look, I've seen how close you and Rossi are. I just don't want you to get hurt."
The case file snapped shut. "You think I'm sleeping with David Rossi." Reid's voice was hard.
"I'm not saying you are, and I don't care if you are or not, I just don't want you to get hurt, man. You're my friend."
Reid was silent for so long that Derek started to wonder if he'd offended his younger colleague too badly. He'd figured Reid would be somewhat offended by Derek trying to butt his head in, but not this long, cold silence.
"David's first wife left him six months after David was named guardian to an infant who had been abandoned."
Derek raised his eyebrows. "You and David are really close, then. I didn't even know he had a kid."
"He does. Kid's in law enforcement now."
"You'd think he'd be boasting about that."
"Maybe he doesn't want to make things harder? Your dad was a cop, you can imagine what it would be like to have all your colleagues knowing you were related to a big wig in the field."
"Okay, I'll give you that," Derek said. It would have been hard having everyone in the Chicago PD know whose son he was under those circumstances. "So, what do you know about his other two wives?"
"His second wife couldn't deal with the fame and the book tours, so she asked for the divorce. It was pretty amicable, I think they send Christmas and birthday cards to each other still. Third, well, she apparently used David to make her ex-fiancé jealous. When it worked, she left David for him." Reid gave an evil chuckle. "Not long after she married the ex, she found him in bed with another woman."
Derek glanced over. "You are way too cheerful over that."
"What? She got what she deserved for using David like that."
"I agree, but still, you sound like this is personal."
Reid sighed, leaning his head back against the headrest. "I was best man at David's second and third weddings."
"Reid, that's not possible, you didn't even know Rossi then."
"I've known David Rossi since I was six months old, Morgan."
Derek blinked and said the first thing that popped into his head. "Don't even tell me you're Gideon's secret love child."
Reid laughed at that. "Oh, hell, no. I wouldn't want to be, Gideon had enough problems with his own son. My dad isn't perfect, but I wouldn't trade being his son for anything. Why do you think I stood up with him at his second and third weddings?"
Pulling over into a parking lot, Derek shoved the car into park and turned to Reid. Reid did not just imply what Morgan thought he had. "There is no way that Rossi's your dad."
Reid looked back at him, his expression serious. "I'm the reason his first marriage fell apart, Morgan. I'm the infant he became guardian of," he said softly, then looked out the windshield at the fast food place they were in front of. "Marie, his wife, apparently couldn't deal with David - with Dad - raising an abandoned infant." Reid paused. "Raising me," he added in a whisper.
Derek reached out and grabbed Reid's arm. "Hey, Reid, that was her problem, not yours. Has your dad ever said he regretted taking care of you? Ever said he'd trade being your dad for anything?" Derek sighed. "I've seen the way Rossi looks at you, Reid. The man adores you. Why do you think I thought what I thought about the two of you?" Granted, Derek felt a little ill about it now, thinking that Rossi and Reid were involved, but considering he hadn't had all the facts, his conclusion had made sense at the time.
"No, he's never said that. I know he's never regretted it, but that doesn't mean--"
"Hey, Reid, if she couldn't cope, that's her loss." Derek tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "I'm guessing the FBI doesn't know you're related?"
"Ah, actually, they do." Reid gave Derek a sheepish look. "We're just not allowed to talk about it. I think they're viewing this as an experiment."
"Still, you could have told me. I wouldn't have said anything, you know that. And I don't care if you and Rossi are father and son. I know it doesn't affect your work. Although," he stopped, "why were you profiling him with Prentiss and I?"
"It was fun to mess with your head," Reid said with a smile. "And Dad knew I was doing it."
"Does Prentiss know?" Derek hoped he wasn't the last person on the team to know.
"No. Hotch knows, Gideon knew. Garcia knows, but she knows all, and I made her promise not to tell anyone on pain of breaking up the team. Oh, and Elle knows."
"Elle?" That was a name Morgan hadn't expected to hear.
"She ran into Dad and I a few months after she left the FBI. She was mad at me for not telling her I was the son of one of the BAU's founders." He grinned suddenly. "She repaid me by telling Dad unabridged stories of our cases. Apparently, Hotch and Gideon liked to, ah, downplay some of the more interesting ones."
Derek chuckled. "I bet." He eyed Reid. "Don't think I'm letting you off the hook for not telling me, though."
"I'm not babysitting Clooney."
"Fair enough, but I'm sure you've got some good stories on Rossi."
"The ones from my childhood aren't great. The best ones came from Gideon and Ryan. Dad didn't tell me the good ones. Then again, he didn't want me to join the BAU, so he wouldn't have told me the good ones. Get Gideon and Ryan going, though?" Reid gave an evil grin, accompanied by a chuckle that made Derek grin.
Derek put the car back in gear and headed back to the field office. "You're not off the hook till you tell me some of those stories."
"Just not where Dad can hear them. He doesn't know that I know some of them."
"Oh, then these have got to be good." Derek still wasn't sure about Rossi and Reid being family, and in the same FBI unit, but so far, they'd been professional. Considering the whole unit was closer to each other than to their families, having two related agents probably wasn't an issue in the grand scheme of things. Of course, if it was going to interfere with the job, Derek would be the first to tell Hotch that the plug needed to be pulled on this experiment. Preferably, in Derek's eyes, Rossi would retire again, but that was only because Reid had been a colleague - a friend - longer.
But for now, he'd keep his mouth shut. So long as Reid kept his end of the bargain with stories on Rossi.
Emily Prentiss
They'd been sleeping together for several months before they made it to his house. Before then, it had been sneaking into each other's hotel rooms at the end of cases or staying at Emily's home. Last night, however, Dave's home had been closer to the restaurant where they'd had dinner, and neither of them had wanted to drive the extra few miles to Emily's.
Emily stretched and looked over at Dave, who was sound asleep next to her. She got up and grabbed his shirt and her panties, putting them on and buttoning the shirt before heading to the bathroom. Once done there, she saw Dave was still asleep, so she went in search of his kitchen, thinking she'd have breakfast waiting for him when he woke up. That, and it gave her a legitimate chance to snoop around the house - she hadn't seen much of it the night before.
Mostly it was what she expected - a few religious artworks, masculine furniture, but it was cozy and lived in. Not as neat as she would have thought, though, given the blanket that was half on the couch, half on the floor, and a book on the floor, open in the middle. She walked over, picking it up, and frowned at the title. A Briefer History of Time. Quite frankly, it looked more like something Reid would be interested in than Dave. She closed it and set it on the coffee table, then picked up the blanket and folded it, spreading it over the back of the couch. She paused as she realized what she was doing, laughing at herself for being so domestic. That was probably the last thing Dave expected from her.
Sunlight from the window reflected off glass in picture frames on the mantle over the fireplace, and Emily walked over to look at them. Dave with his parents, taken when he was most likely a teenager. Dave with Jason Gideon, Max Ryan, and several other agents she didn't recognize in the old BAU bunker. Dave with a toddler.
Wait, Dave with a toddler?
Emily picked up the picture. That was Dave Rossi, sitting on the floor with a toddler who was playing with a children's toy she didn't recognize, but the toddler was beaming, obviously having a blast. Dave had a smug smile of pride on his face as he watched the toddler.
"Hey, Dad, did you fold --" Spencer Reid's voice broke off as Emily whirled around, her hands going down to ensure Dave's shirt covered all of her. "Emily?" Reid squeaked.
"Reid! What are you doing here?" Emily asked.
"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?"
Wait - Dad? She glanced down at the picture in her hands, a sick feeling in her stomach. "Oh, God, Rossi's your dad?" Now that she thought of it, the toddler did bear a resemblance to Reid.
"Um, yeah," Reid said, pushing a lock of hair behind his ears.
"Emily?" Dave called as he came down the stairs in a hurry, wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms. He stopped when he saw Reid in the living room with her. "Spencer? What are you doing here?"
Reid looked over at Dave. "Um, I, ah, had a fight with . . . with my boyfriend, your house was closer. I didn't know you had . . . company."
Oh God, she really didn't want to know that Spencer Reid was dating another guy, much less that they were having issues. What else was she going to learn?
Dave sighed. "What did Hotch do now?"
Wait -- Hotch? Reid was sleeping with Hotch?
Reid glanced at Emily. "Um, long story?" he asked, his voice rising a bit. "I'm, ah," he gestured to the kitchen, "going to make breakfast." He turned and hurried out of the room. Emily heard the sound of the refrigerator door opening and the gas stove lighting.
"Emily?" Dave's voice was closer, and she looked over to see him standing near her. "You all right?"
Putting the picture back on the mantle, trying to give herself time to compartmentalize, Emily looked at the remaining pictures - Reid at one of his PhD graduations, a smiling and obviously proud Dave standing next to him; Reid at his FBI Academy graduation, flanked by Dave, Gideon, and Hotch. "Reid's your son." She couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Adopted, but yes, he is my son." The pride in Dave's voice was unmistakable.
"The Bureau lets you work together?"
"It's . . . a very long story, Emily." Dave put his hand on her shoulder. "But yeah, they let us work together. They do know. It would be hard for them not to," he said.
"Considering I was left on the steps of the FBI as an infant," Reid said from the doorway, "it would be nearly impossible for the FBI not to know Dad and I are related." Emily looked over at him, shocked, and he shrugged. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes."
Emily blinked. "I'm going to go get dressed," she said finally.
Dave nodded. "Me too."
They headed up the stairs as Reid went back into the kitchen. Once back in Dave's bedroom, Emily picked up her clothes and started unbuttoning Dave's shirt she was wearing. "So. Reid is your son, he's sleeping with Hotch, I'm sleeping with you. Please tell me that Morgan is not your long-lost cousin."
"Morgan is not my long-lost cousin," Dave said obediently as he got dressed. "But yes, Spencer is my son and Hotch is, well, pretty much my son-in-law."
Emily shook her head as she finished dressing. "Why didn't you say anything earlier? I mean, God, Dave, you have a son, and you never told me!"
"I know, Emily, I know." Dave sighed. "I'm sorry. Spencer and I . . . the team isn't supposed to know. The Bureau's turned this into an experiment in families working together. Not that it hasn't leaked out - Garcia knows, but as Spencer says, Garcia knows everything."
"Hotch knows, and Gideon had to know."
"Gideon knew because he was with me when we found Spencer on the steps of the FBI. Hotch knows because we worked together when Spencer was still a teenager."
Emily turned to face Dave. "Hotch knew Reid as a teenager, and he's sleeping with him now?"
Dave gave her a lopsided smile. "To Hotch's credit, there was never anything inappropriate while Spencer was underage. I don't think Hotch was even attracted to Spencer until after they started working together. They didn't start seeing each other until after Hotch's divorce."
"God, this is so messed up," Emily muttered. "Left in a basket on the steps of the FBI?" she asked, thinking of what Reid had said earlier.
"God knows, it's a cliché, but yes, he was. And yes, I adopted him." Dave gave a casual shrug, but the emotion in his voice belied the indifference. "He's my son, Emily."
"I just can't see you as father and son. I mean, he profiled you with us! He quoted your books with glee!"
Dave scratched the back of his head. "Well, I knew the three of you were in my office. I sorta let Spencer know it was okay to mess with your heads a bit. After all, we did have appearances to maintain. Even if I wanted to call him a liar for saying he couldn't tell the artwork was original. He damn well knew it was."
"And your books? You seemed awfully surprised he was quoting them word for word."
"Emily, no matter how often I hear Spencer doing that, the fact that he can still amazes me. I mean, I'm no slouch, but I have a son who is an absolute genius, who could do anything he wanted to with his life, and he chose to follow his old man into profiling, no matter how hard I tried to discourage him."
Emily blinked at that. "You tried to discourage him? I would have thought --"
"That I was like Gideon, and pushing him into it?" Dave shook his head. "I wanted him to be happy, Em. I never wanted him to feel like he had to do this to make me happy. Yeah, I admit, having Spencer follow me into the BAU is a point of pride, but if he left tomorrow and took one of the positions Georgetown keeps trying to lure him in with, I'd be just as proud of him."
"But you never came to visit him, never said anything before you came back to the BAU, and Reid definitely never said his father was David Rossi. And why isn't he Spencer Rossi if he's your son?"
"Spencer felt awkward enough being Gideon's protégé. Letting people know he was my son would have made it just that much harder for him. As for being Spencer Reid instead of Spencer Rossi, I never wanted to hide his adoption from him, never wanted to make him feel like he couldn't find his birth mother if he wanted to." Dave sighed. "Unfortunately Spencer's biological father passed away before he was born, but his mother's still alive. I know Spencer visits her every once in a while, though I don't know if she recognizes him as her son." At Emily's questioning look, Dave sighed again. "She's paranoid schizophrenic, and was institutionalized not long after she left him at the FBI. I, ah," Dave shrugged, a sheepish look on her face, "had her moved from the state facility to a private one not long after I adopted Spencer. I didn't want him to see her in one of those places when he decided to look for her."
Emily shook her head at that. Dave was paying for the care of his son's biological mother, simply because she was Reid's biological mother, no matter that she'd abandoned her child to be raised by strangers. Because he loved his son that much. "You, David Rossi, are a fraud."
"What?" Dave looked shocked.
Moving so she could wrap her arms around his neck, causing him to put his hands on her waist, Emily smiled up at him. "You act all gruff and mean, trying to convince people you are some cold-hearted bastard, when the truth is you," she removed one hand to poke into his chest, "are a big old softy."
Dave looked down at her, the surprise in his eyes giving way to something more serious. "Only when it comes to my son, and certain dark haired lady profilers. The rest of the time? I really am that mean old bastard."
Laughing, Emily leaned up to kiss him. "Well, I'm flattered to be in exclusive company, then."
"Very exclusive. I'm not even a softy when it comes to Hotch. Especially not when he and Spencer argue." Dave sighed. "I'm going to have to hide his body one of these days." He didn't look serious about it.
"What if it was Reid's fault?" From Reid's expression earlier, the argument might have been at least partly his fault.
"Then I'll let Hotch live. Maybe." He looked down at Emily. "Oh, hell, who am I kidding? Spencer would never forgive me if I hurt Hotch, even if they broke up."
"Softy," Emily said again with a smile.
"Yeah," Dave agreed, leaning in to kiss her. "So, Spencer probably has breakfast ready."
"Oh God," Emily said, hiding her face against Dave's chest. "Reid knows we're sleeping together."
"Yes, he does." Dave drew out his reply, making it more of a question.
"I just . . . I have to face Reid knowing that he knows that I'm sleeping with his father."
Dave's hand rubbed comforting circles on her back. "Spencer will be fine with it, Em. Once he's gotten over his shock at seeing you here. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time that he's come over unexpectedly when I have . . . company. It's just been several years, since I generally tend to warn him when I start dating again. Which I couldn't exactly do in this instance. Even though I know Spencer isn't one to throw the fraternization regs at me."
"Pot, Kettle," Emily said with a small smile.
"Exactly." Dave kissed her again. "So, I don't know about you, but I'm starving, and my son is a genius in the kitchen. Much better than I am."
Emily gave Dave a sidelong smile. "I think I've got the better end of the deal," she said. At Dave's raised eyebrow, she leaned up to murmur in his ear. "I got the genius in the bedroom." She pulled away from him when he tried to kiss her. "Not with your son in the house!" she said, pretending to be scandalized. Before Dave could stop her, she opened the door.
"You're an evil woman, Emily Prentiss," Dave said behind her, but she could hear the smile on his face.
"It's why you love me," she replied, barely managing to keep from faltering on the stairs as what she said hit her.
"Yeah, it is," Dave said softly, smiling, steadying her with a hand on her arm. She smiled back at him, leaning in to kiss him when Reid's voice interrupted.
"I thought we had a moratorium on making out in each other's presence!"
Emily turned, but Reid was still in the kitchen. Next to her, Dave snorted. "When you and Hotch keep to that rule, Emily and I will," he called back, before kissing her deeply. Emily heard Reid laugh, but she was too caught up in Dave's kiss to take offense at his good natured teasing of his dad.
Besides, she could tease Reid about Hotch, too. All was fair in love and war, and this? Was definitely love.
Jennifer Jareau
Pulling into her driveway, JJ was surprised to see Hotch's car behind Reid's. She sighed. She'd called Reid several hours ago because Will had been out of town for a few days, testifying on one of his cases in New Orleans that was finally going to trial, and Henry had been fussy all day and JJ just needed the chance to get out of the house by herself. Fortunately, Reid had been more than willing to babysit his godson for a few hours.
Still, she wasn't sure why Hotch was here. That was a little disconcerting.
Letting herself into the house, JJ called out "I'm home!" She shut the door and sniffed at the air, her stomach rumbling at the scent of cooking lasagna.
"Hey, JJ," Reid said, coming out of the kitchen. "Hope you don't mind, figured I'd make dinner since I didn't know how long you'd be gone. I didn't think you'd mind having homemade leftovers, either."
JJ smiled. "I don't mind. Why is Hotch here?" she asked. "I didn't think I missed a call."
"You didn't. And Henry's fine. Hotch is upstairs with him. I, ah, called him because I wasn't quite sure on putting Henry to bed and I didn't know when you'd be back." Reid shrugged.
JJ smiled. "I hadn't thought about that, but that was a good idea." Her stomach rumbled and she gave Reid a sheepish look. "Sorry, guess I'm hungrier than I thought."
"Not a problem, it should be done now."
JJ followed Reid into the kitchen. The table was set for two, but Reid was already moving to get another plate and silverware. "Making yourself at home, I see," she said, sitting down at the table. Reid shot her a grin as he set the plate in front of her, handing her the silverware and going back to the oven.
Hotch entered the room. "JJ," he said. "I didn't know you were back," he said. "Henry just fell asleep."
JJ smiled. "I'm sorry to bother you, Hotch, I just had to get out of the house for a bit."
Sitting down at the table, Hotch gave her a smile. "Trust me, I remember those days."
Reid snorted as he cut into the lasagna. "My dad won't let me forget that he had those days."
JJ chuckled. "Are you saying I'll be able to blackmail Henry with this later?"
"Totally. Works for my dad. He gets me to cook for him." Reid brought the pan over and served the lasagna before setting it on the counter and joining them at the table.
"I don't blame him," Hotch said. "Reid's a fantastic cook," he said to JJ.
JJ took a bite of her lasagna and hummed in agreement. "Oh my god, I might have to dump Will for you, Spence," she said, taking another bite.
"Sorry, JJ, I'm spoken for," Reid replied.
JJ gave him a wink. "I carry a gun, I might be able to fight her for you."
Reid gave a small laugh. "He carries one, too," he said, not looking at her, nervously pushing a lock of hair behind his ear.
Oh. Well, that was a surprise. Then JJ caught the glance Reid gave Hotch, and the smile Hotch gave him in return. "Oh!"
Hotch gave her a wry smile. "Trust me, I understand the 'marry me' reaction to Reid's cooking. It's why I don't let him cook for just anyone."
"So, you proposed to Reid the first time he cooked for you?" JJ asked, genuinely curious, wondering when their relationship had come about, but not surprised that she hadn't seen it before now. They were profilers, and they'd know how to hide things from other people - including the rest of the team.
"Um, not exactly, as Hotch was married at the time and I was sixteen. I think my father would have shot Hotch and dumped the body in the Potomac if he'd proposed."
"Your father threatens to dump my body in the Potomac on a regular basis," Hotch replied calmly.
JJ blinked. "Sixteen? I didn't think you'd joined the FBI until you were twenty."
Reid and Hotch exchanged glances, then Reid set his fork down. "I didn't join the FBI until I was twenty, but my dad was, well, is an FBI agent, so . . . I wasn't unknown to Hotch and Gideon when I was a kid."
JJ looked between the two. "There's something you're not telling me."
Reid bit his lip, glancing at Hotch again. JJ looked at him. Hotch looked . . . worried. "What is it?" she asked.
"JJ . . . this isn't a secret that was kept lightly," Hotch said. "It was orders from the brass. Part of a pilot project, they said."
JJ set her own fork down. "What, Reid is Gideon's secret love child?"
Reid coughed. "Ah, no." He sighed, looking down at his plate. "I was abandoned as an infant on the steps of the old BAU bunker. Gideon, Ryan, and Rossi were the agents who found me." He swallowed. "JJ, David Rossi is my dad."
JJ felt her eyebrows going up, and she looked to Hotch, wondering if this was a joke. He shook his head. "It's not a joke, JJ. Rossi is Reid's dad. It's how I met Reid when he was sixteen."
JJ sat back in her chair, staring at them. Hotch's face was unreadable, as usual, but Reid looked worried and guilty at the same time. "I can see why you didn't tell anyone," she finally said, trying to reconcile this in her mind. It explained a few things, like the odd way Rossi had been protective of Reid back when Rossi had joined the team. "Who else knows? Or am I the last one to find out?"
"Unfortunately, you're the last, but that wasn't deliberate, JJ. Garcia figured it out early on, since Dad and I are each other's emergency contacts. I had to tell Morgan because he saw how close Dad and I were and, well," Reid grimaced, "he drew the entirely wrong conclusion. I kinda had to set him straight after that."
"I can see why," JJ said, blinking. That wasn't a rumor they needed to have spread around the Bureau.
Hotch eyed Reid. "Did you tell him about us?"
"No! I just told him about dad." Reid shifted a bit in his chair. "Emily knows about Hotch and Dad, but not all of that was my fault. And Elle knows about Dad - he and I ran into her after she left the BAU, before Dad came back." He looked up at JJ. "You, Dad, and Emily are the only ones who know about me and Hotch, though."
JJ remained quiet, trying to come to terms with everything she'd learned tonight. Reid looked nervous. Hotch was harder to read, as usual, but she could see the tense way he was holding himself, as if expecting her to react badly. Which she understood, but it hurt a little. Didn't they know her better than that?
They probably did, she realized, but this was something that most people in the Bureau wouldn't understand - neither Reid and Rossi being relatives in the same unit nor Hotch and Reid being involved. Even with as long as they'd known her, as long as they'd trusted her with their lives on the job, this was trusting her with their lives outside of the jobs. A life she'd tried to guard as carefully as they had.
"So," she finally said, slowly. "Infant boy is abandoned on the steps of the FBI, FBI profiler adopts baby and raises him as his own son, said son grows up to join the FBI profiling unit, and father triumphantly returns to the FBI and they ride off into the sunset together, fighting crime. I think I saw this movie on Lifetime once, with Joe Mantegna playing the father," she added with a smile.
Reid snorted. "You left out Hotch," he said.
"Yeah, I wasn't quite sure where that fit in the timeline of the movie," she said. It was as close as she could get to asking them about when they'd started their relationship, without outright asking. The fact that Hotch had known Reid since Reid was sixteen brought up all sorts of concerns that JJ didn't want to think about.
"After the father triumphantly returns to the FBI, before the ride into the sunset," Hotch said quietly. "And when I knew my divorce from Haley would be finalized. Believe me, JJ, my body would deservedly be in the Potomac if I'd so much as thought anything inappropriate while Reid was underage."
Reid reached out and put his hand on Hotch's, a gesture that JJ didn't miss, nor did she miss the way Reid's thumb stroked over Hotch's skin. When did things change? she wanted to ask, but she was afraid she knew. She still heard Reid's voice saying I choose Aaron Hotchner in her nightmares.
I knew you'd understand. Those soft words hadn't just come from Reid's trust in SSA Hotchner as a teammate, but from nearly ten years of having Aaron Hotchner as a friend. Reid had known that Hotch wouldn't take his words as the death warrant that Tobias Hankel wanted, but as the clues Reid had intended them to be.
The look Hotch was giving Reid was one she hadn't seen on the older man in a long time. Warm, affectionate - definitely a man in love. Reid was returning the look with a small smile on his lips.
"Okay, you two, no making mushy eyes at each other at my table," she finally said, surprised when Reid burst out laughing at the remark.
"Dave has a 'no making out, no details' rule in place about the two of us," Hotch explained with a smile.
"Not that we actually do anything like that in front of him. Well, not often," Reid added when Hotch quirked an eyebrow at him. "But Dad's a bit squeamish about that."
"Speaking as a mother, I know that I don't want details of Henry's sex life when he's old enough to have one," JJ said. "His children will be brought by the stork." She paused. "Seriously, Reid, left in a basket on the steps of the FBI?"
Reid grinned widely. "Dad still has the basket."
Hotch looked surprised at that. "He does?"
Reid nodded. "He'll deny it, but he's a packrat. Don't ever ask to see his attic. Although I think we've got some spectacular old toys for Jack and Henry up there. I should raid it and see what we can find."
"Lead paint, who knows how many types of bad-for-children chemicals. . ." JJ said with a grin.
"Hey, I turned out all right!"
"Define 'all right'," Hotch said with a grin. Reid just shot him a glare.
The rest of the meal passed amicably, and when they were done, Hotch insisted on doing the dishes, letting JJ drag Reid upstairs so she could check on Henry.
Once she'd made sure that her son was sleeping peacefully, hopefully for a few more hours, she shut the door to his room and turned to Reid. "Spence, why did you never mention that Rossi was your dad before he came back?"
Reid gave her a smile. "I was being judged already on my three Ph.D.s and my age. I didn't want to be judged on my family connections as well. I know you won't now, JJ," he said before she could interrupt, "but back then? The only people I knew in the BAU were Gideon and Hotch, and it was hard enough that everyone else saw me as Dr. Reid, Agent Gideon's protégé. I didn't want to be Dr. Reid, Agent Rossi's son and Agent Gideon's protégé. I just wanted to be Agent Reid, frankly." He tucked a lock of hair behind his ears and looked away. "There were a lot of times those first few years when I almost just walked away and went back to college."
JJ looked at him in surprise. "You wanted to quit?" she repeated.
A rueful smile crossed Reid's face. "I actually had my resignation ready to turn in twice."
"I never knew," JJ said. Even after Hankel, Reid had never seemed like he was willing to leave the FBI. "Gideon talk you out of it?"
"Actually," the rueful smile changed to something warmer, "Hotch did. It was easier to talk to him first. My resignation letters never got to Gideon, although knowing him, he figured it out. He just never said anything to me."
"I'm glad Hotch talked you out of it," JJ said. "Otherwise, Henry wouldn't have a godfather."
"What, you wouldn't want Morgan as his godfather?"
"Will and I wanted you. We know that you and Garcia would raise Henry the way we would want. Hotch would have been great, I know, but we didn't want to hurt him by reminding him too much of Jack," she added softly.
"JJ, I know it wouldn't have hurt him. He was actually thrilled tonight when I called him to basically admit I was out of my depth at putting Henry to bed." Reid chuckled. "I can memorize obscure books and recite them word for word, I've even memorized child care books, but when it comes down to actually getting Henry undressed and bathed and ready for bed," Reid shrugged. "I was out of my comfort zone. And the only other agent that I knew had recent experience was Aaron. So I called him and begged for his help. Just before you got back, he was singing to Henry to settle him down." Reid looked nervous. "I apologize in advance for any emotional scarring that may occur to Henry's psyche as a result of Aaron singing Queen's 'The Show Must Go On'."
JJ blinked at Reid. "You're kidding me."
Reid help up his cell phone. "I'm totally not. I have video. By the way? Henry loved it."
"There's a joke in there somewhere that I think I'm just going to step far, far away from."
"Probably for the best," Reid said as they headed down the stairs and back to the kitchen, where Hotch was finishing up the dishes. Reid automatically moved over to stand next to Hotch, taking a dish from him and drying it without either of them saying a word. That went on until the dishes were done and Reid was putting them away.
JJ just sat at her kitchen table and watched, amused at the way that Hotch and Reid were so in synch with each other. Even in the field, on the worst cases where none of them were truly on their game, Hotch and Reid always had a glimmer of something between them that could be counted on to offer up something - not always the brilliant "here's the unsub on a platter!" insights Gideon had been known for - but a new avenue no one had considered, a new angle on a piece of evidence that wasn't considered important before. Something enough to jump start the investigation, get them going again and out to find the unsub. Sometimes Hotch and Reid would have something that amounted to nothing more than a wild goose chase - until the one tame goose in the middle of the flock was found. And she really needed to stop watching those hunting shows with Will.
JJ smiled at Reid when he looked over at her, and her smile widened at the look Hotch gave Reid. They were both besotted, even if they didn't say it.
"Why does that look in your eye scare me?" Hotch asked as he set a mug of tea down in front of JJ before taking his seat at the table with his own mug. Reid sat down next to Hotch, a bottle of water in his hands.
"Will likes to joke about the BAU being a family and puts us into the stories he tells Henry at night. Stories where Mom-Hotch and Dad-Rossi are kicking butt alongside their sons Flirty-Tackler Morgan and Boy-Genius Reid, and their daughters Quietly Kickass Emily and Silver-Tongued JJ, and with help from the eccentric cousin Garcia who we suspect is on Hotch's side of the family. Now, though, we are totally going to re-think this."
"Please?" Hotch said in a slightly strangled voice. "Otherwise, I'm afraid of what will happen to me if Disney gets hold of this, considering their track record with mothers."
JJ wrinkled her nose. "Good point." She pointed her mug at Reid. "We need a better BAU fairytale to tell Henry and Jack and any kids Dave, Morgan, Emily, and Garica might have."
"God help those kids," Reid muttered. "Dad was once cursed that he'd have a dozen more just like me."
"Who did that?" Hotch asked.
"Father Michelli."
Hotch shook his head and pulled Reid closer to kiss the top of his head. "Don't ever change, Spence," he murmured, a content smile on his face.
JJ didn't understand the joke, but she did understand the expression on their faces. "Guys, seriously, thank you for coming over to watch Henry."
The two men straightened up. "Not a problem, JJ, you know that. Any time," Reid said, a beaming smile on his face.
"Next time I'll make sure he knows what he's doing before I let him over," Hotch said with a wink. JJ laughed at that, and walked the two men to her front door, watching them both leave before she shut the door and went up to check on Henry again.
Author: kyrdwyn
Pairings: Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid; Dave Rossi/Emily Prentiss
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: everything up through Season 4 is fair game
Beta: rambleinblue
Sequel to: Blaze With the Glory and Regained Through Fire". Yes, the long awaited sequel - and you really need to read those first to have this make sense, since it directly plays off/references those stories.
This is also my entry for the criminal_prompt "5 times".
Summary: Five Ways the Team Found Out
Elle Greenaway
Despite having resigned from the FBI and the BAU three months before, Elle Greenaway couldn't resist attending the book reading David Rossi was having at the store near her apartment in New York. Sure, it might not be much use in her current job as a private security guard, but she wanted to keep up on profiling, just in case some of her other job applications panned out.
Rossi's talk was fascinating, and she almost wished she could have asked more questions than she had, but she didn't want to take up all of his time, not with the other fans (civilian fans) of his in the room. When the hour was over, she gathered up her purse, intending to purchase her copy of the book and slip out of the store.
"Elle! I thought I recognized your voice," someone behind her said. She turned quickly, blinking as Spencer Reid stood behind her, smiling. "It's good to see you," he said, reaching out and pulling her into a hug. Elle blinked again, but closed her arms around Reid, surprised to see him, and very surprised that he was hugging her. But she couldn't deny that it felt good to see someone from the BAU - someone who was genuinely happy to see her. Someone who hadn't given up on her, even when she pushed him away.
"Hey, Reid," she said, pulling back when the hug ended. "Finally getting to New York on vacation?"
Reid pushed a lock of hair behind his ears, a familiar gesture she found she'd missed, and smiled. "Yeah, finally. I'm here with my dad, though he's actually working."
"Ah! The mysterious father of Dr. Reid." Reid had mentioned his dad often, though mostly in general terms, not anything specific. "You mean I finally get to meet him?"
"Spence, ready to go?" Rossi's voice came from behind Elle, and she turned to see the legendary profiler standing behind her, smiling. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." The smile stayed on his face.
"Dad, this is Elle Greenaway."
Rossi's smile grew. "Agent Greenaway, it's a pleasure to meet you. Spencer's mentioned you several times." He held out his hand. "David Rossi, Spencer's father."
Elle blinked in surprise for the third time that evening. "You're Spencer's father?" Elle turned to Reid. "You never said anything about David Rossi being your father!"
Reid shrugged. "It was never important."
Elle gave Reid a look. "Your father was one of the founders of the BAU, and it was never important?"
"It wasn't important to Spencer doing his job," Rossi said, a slight edge in his voice.
"Besides, you ribbed me about being Gideon's protégé enough," Reid said. "Imagine if I'd admitted to being David Rossi's son? Morgan never would have let up."
Elle had to admit Reid was right. Morgan, and she, would have teased him about it mercilessly.
"Anyway, why don't you join us for dinner?" Reid asked with a hopeful smile.
"Please," Rossi added. "I'd love to get the inside scoop on some of the scrapes my son has gotten into at the BAU. Jason and Hotch seem to think I need to be protected from the details."
Elle chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure I can tell you several stories Reid doesn't want you to hear."
"I'm doomed," Reid moaned melodramatically, his hand pressing to the back of his forehead, but he winked at her.
Elle laughed. "Yes, you are, Dr. Reid." She slipped her arm into his and smiled. Rossi offered her his arm, and she walked out of the store between the two of them, smiling widely. For the first time since leaving the BAU, she felt at peace.
Penelope Garcia
"Come on in, tall, pale, and geeky!" Penelope called out, finishing typing something into her computer and spinning around as Spencer Reid entered her office.
"I'm not that pale," Reid said with a scowl that was abso-friggin-lutely adorable on him, but Penelope would never tell him that.
"Hrm," Penelope said. "But you can't deny the tall and geeky," she said. "Not that it’s a bad thing, sweetie."
"Did you have a reason for asking me to come down here?" Reid asked.
"Yes, actually. I was updating the team's emergency contact numbers, and realized that your contact number is, and pretty much always has been, David Rossi. Now his emergency contact number is your phone number. Something you wanna tell me, or do I need to start doing some serious research on the Internet?" She tapped her fuzzy pen against the keyboard threateningly.
Surprisingly, Reid reached out to push the door closed. Then he pulled out his credentials wallet and reached inside to remove a picture from behind his commission card. "You can't tell anyone," he said, looking at her with serious eyes. "I mean it. Hotch knows, Gideon knew, but you can't tell Morgan or Prentiss or JJ, or one of us will have to leave the BAU."
Penelope blinked. "Oooh-kay," she said slowly. "I promise, I won't tell anyone." Reid raised an eyebrow. "I promise."
Reid looked at her steadily, then nodded. He handed her the picture. She took it, staring at the much younger version of Reid, looking positively adorable in a tuxedo, standing next to a younger David Rossi, sans goatee, his arm around Reid and a proud smile on his face. "When was this taken?" she asked, shocked.
"Um, June of 1994. My high school graduation."
"You wore a tuxedo to your high school graduation?" Not the most important question, but the first one she thought of.
"All male Jesuit Catholic high school. All the graduates wore tuxedos."
"So why was Rossi at your graduation, then?" Penelope asked. "He looks so proud of you."
"Dad was thrilled I graduated. I had a habit of arguing with my theology teachers, ended up in detention a lot."
"Not surprising -- wait, Dad?! Rossi's your dad? That would explain the mutual emergency contact numbers but . . . you don't look anything alike!"
Reid gave her a smile. "Dad adopted me when I was about a year old. I, well," Reid shrugged and tucked a lock of hair behind his ears, "I was left in a basket on the steps of the BAU bunker when I was six months old."
Penelope felt her jaw drop. "You're kidding!"
"Nope, I was. It's a long story, and I'm sure you can find the records, but yeah, Dad, Gideon, and Ryan found me in a basket, and Dad adopted me." Reid took the picture back, smiling as he tucked it away. "Garcia," he said, the smile fading, "Dad being back in the BAU with me is on a trial basis, and the higher-ups do not want it known that we're related. I can't even call him 'Dad' when we're on the job." He let out a noise of frustration. "You know how hard it is to call him 'Rossi' or 'David'? I've called him 'Dad' since I was able to talk." He ran a hand through his hair. "I like working with him, but--"
Penelope got up and pulled Reid into a hug. "But sometimes you just want him to be your dad instead of your co-worker," she said. "I understand, sweetie. And I promise, I'll keep this a secret. Even from Morgan." She pulled back and gave Reid a kiss on the cheek, earning a blush from the younger man. "But I want pictures from your college graduations."
She had to laugh when Reid pulled those from his wallet. "I've got my Academy graduation, too," he said. "With bonus appearances by Hotch and Gideon."
"Oooo," Garcia said. "Lemme see." Reid grinned and handed them over.
Derek Morgan
"You know he's been married three times, right?" Derek looked over at the younger man in the passenger seat.
"Hm?" Reid asked, not looking up from the case file. "Our vic was only married once, and there's nothing to indicate the unsub was married at all."
Derek shook his head. "I'm not talking about the case, Reid, I'm taking about Rossi."
Reid looked over at Morgan. "That's not a secret, Morgan. I don't see why it's relevant to the case, though."
"Reid, look, I've seen how close you and Rossi are. I just don't want you to get hurt."
The case file snapped shut. "You think I'm sleeping with David Rossi." Reid's voice was hard.
"I'm not saying you are, and I don't care if you are or not, I just don't want you to get hurt, man. You're my friend."
Reid was silent for so long that Derek started to wonder if he'd offended his younger colleague too badly. He'd figured Reid would be somewhat offended by Derek trying to butt his head in, but not this long, cold silence.
"David's first wife left him six months after David was named guardian to an infant who had been abandoned."
Derek raised his eyebrows. "You and David are really close, then. I didn't even know he had a kid."
"He does. Kid's in law enforcement now."
"You'd think he'd be boasting about that."
"Maybe he doesn't want to make things harder? Your dad was a cop, you can imagine what it would be like to have all your colleagues knowing you were related to a big wig in the field."
"Okay, I'll give you that," Derek said. It would have been hard having everyone in the Chicago PD know whose son he was under those circumstances. "So, what do you know about his other two wives?"
"His second wife couldn't deal with the fame and the book tours, so she asked for the divorce. It was pretty amicable, I think they send Christmas and birthday cards to each other still. Third, well, she apparently used David to make her ex-fiancé jealous. When it worked, she left David for him." Reid gave an evil chuckle. "Not long after she married the ex, she found him in bed with another woman."
Derek glanced over. "You are way too cheerful over that."
"What? She got what she deserved for using David like that."
"I agree, but still, you sound like this is personal."
Reid sighed, leaning his head back against the headrest. "I was best man at David's second and third weddings."
"Reid, that's not possible, you didn't even know Rossi then."
"I've known David Rossi since I was six months old, Morgan."
Derek blinked and said the first thing that popped into his head. "Don't even tell me you're Gideon's secret love child."
Reid laughed at that. "Oh, hell, no. I wouldn't want to be, Gideon had enough problems with his own son. My dad isn't perfect, but I wouldn't trade being his son for anything. Why do you think I stood up with him at his second and third weddings?"
Pulling over into a parking lot, Derek shoved the car into park and turned to Reid. Reid did not just imply what Morgan thought he had. "There is no way that Rossi's your dad."
Reid looked back at him, his expression serious. "I'm the reason his first marriage fell apart, Morgan. I'm the infant he became guardian of," he said softly, then looked out the windshield at the fast food place they were in front of. "Marie, his wife, apparently couldn't deal with David - with Dad - raising an abandoned infant." Reid paused. "Raising me," he added in a whisper.
Derek reached out and grabbed Reid's arm. "Hey, Reid, that was her problem, not yours. Has your dad ever said he regretted taking care of you? Ever said he'd trade being your dad for anything?" Derek sighed. "I've seen the way Rossi looks at you, Reid. The man adores you. Why do you think I thought what I thought about the two of you?" Granted, Derek felt a little ill about it now, thinking that Rossi and Reid were involved, but considering he hadn't had all the facts, his conclusion had made sense at the time.
"No, he's never said that. I know he's never regretted it, but that doesn't mean--"
"Hey, Reid, if she couldn't cope, that's her loss." Derek tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "I'm guessing the FBI doesn't know you're related?"
"Ah, actually, they do." Reid gave Derek a sheepish look. "We're just not allowed to talk about it. I think they're viewing this as an experiment."
"Still, you could have told me. I wouldn't have said anything, you know that. And I don't care if you and Rossi are father and son. I know it doesn't affect your work. Although," he stopped, "why were you profiling him with Prentiss and I?"
"It was fun to mess with your head," Reid said with a smile. "And Dad knew I was doing it."
"Does Prentiss know?" Derek hoped he wasn't the last person on the team to know.
"No. Hotch knows, Gideon knew. Garcia knows, but she knows all, and I made her promise not to tell anyone on pain of breaking up the team. Oh, and Elle knows."
"Elle?" That was a name Morgan hadn't expected to hear.
"She ran into Dad and I a few months after she left the FBI. She was mad at me for not telling her I was the son of one of the BAU's founders." He grinned suddenly. "She repaid me by telling Dad unabridged stories of our cases. Apparently, Hotch and Gideon liked to, ah, downplay some of the more interesting ones."
Derek chuckled. "I bet." He eyed Reid. "Don't think I'm letting you off the hook for not telling me, though."
"I'm not babysitting Clooney."
"Fair enough, but I'm sure you've got some good stories on Rossi."
"The ones from my childhood aren't great. The best ones came from Gideon and Ryan. Dad didn't tell me the good ones. Then again, he didn't want me to join the BAU, so he wouldn't have told me the good ones. Get Gideon and Ryan going, though?" Reid gave an evil grin, accompanied by a chuckle that made Derek grin.
Derek put the car back in gear and headed back to the field office. "You're not off the hook till you tell me some of those stories."
"Just not where Dad can hear them. He doesn't know that I know some of them."
"Oh, then these have got to be good." Derek still wasn't sure about Rossi and Reid being family, and in the same FBI unit, but so far, they'd been professional. Considering the whole unit was closer to each other than to their families, having two related agents probably wasn't an issue in the grand scheme of things. Of course, if it was going to interfere with the job, Derek would be the first to tell Hotch that the plug needed to be pulled on this experiment. Preferably, in Derek's eyes, Rossi would retire again, but that was only because Reid had been a colleague - a friend - longer.
But for now, he'd keep his mouth shut. So long as Reid kept his end of the bargain with stories on Rossi.
Emily Prentiss
They'd been sleeping together for several months before they made it to his house. Before then, it had been sneaking into each other's hotel rooms at the end of cases or staying at Emily's home. Last night, however, Dave's home had been closer to the restaurant where they'd had dinner, and neither of them had wanted to drive the extra few miles to Emily's.
Emily stretched and looked over at Dave, who was sound asleep next to her. She got up and grabbed his shirt and her panties, putting them on and buttoning the shirt before heading to the bathroom. Once done there, she saw Dave was still asleep, so she went in search of his kitchen, thinking she'd have breakfast waiting for him when he woke up. That, and it gave her a legitimate chance to snoop around the house - she hadn't seen much of it the night before.
Mostly it was what she expected - a few religious artworks, masculine furniture, but it was cozy and lived in. Not as neat as she would have thought, though, given the blanket that was half on the couch, half on the floor, and a book on the floor, open in the middle. She walked over, picking it up, and frowned at the title. A Briefer History of Time. Quite frankly, it looked more like something Reid would be interested in than Dave. She closed it and set it on the coffee table, then picked up the blanket and folded it, spreading it over the back of the couch. She paused as she realized what she was doing, laughing at herself for being so domestic. That was probably the last thing Dave expected from her.
Sunlight from the window reflected off glass in picture frames on the mantle over the fireplace, and Emily walked over to look at them. Dave with his parents, taken when he was most likely a teenager. Dave with Jason Gideon, Max Ryan, and several other agents she didn't recognize in the old BAU bunker. Dave with a toddler.
Wait, Dave with a toddler?
Emily picked up the picture. That was Dave Rossi, sitting on the floor with a toddler who was playing with a children's toy she didn't recognize, but the toddler was beaming, obviously having a blast. Dave had a smug smile of pride on his face as he watched the toddler.
"Hey, Dad, did you fold --" Spencer Reid's voice broke off as Emily whirled around, her hands going down to ensure Dave's shirt covered all of her. "Emily?" Reid squeaked.
"Reid! What are you doing here?" Emily asked.
"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?"
Wait - Dad? She glanced down at the picture in her hands, a sick feeling in her stomach. "Oh, God, Rossi's your dad?" Now that she thought of it, the toddler did bear a resemblance to Reid.
"Um, yeah," Reid said, pushing a lock of hair behind his ears.
"Emily?" Dave called as he came down the stairs in a hurry, wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms. He stopped when he saw Reid in the living room with her. "Spencer? What are you doing here?"
Reid looked over at Dave. "Um, I, ah, had a fight with . . . with my boyfriend, your house was closer. I didn't know you had . . . company."
Oh God, she really didn't want to know that Spencer Reid was dating another guy, much less that they were having issues. What else was she going to learn?
Dave sighed. "What did Hotch do now?"
Wait -- Hotch? Reid was sleeping with Hotch?
Reid glanced at Emily. "Um, long story?" he asked, his voice rising a bit. "I'm, ah," he gestured to the kitchen, "going to make breakfast." He turned and hurried out of the room. Emily heard the sound of the refrigerator door opening and the gas stove lighting.
"Emily?" Dave's voice was closer, and she looked over to see him standing near her. "You all right?"
Putting the picture back on the mantle, trying to give herself time to compartmentalize, Emily looked at the remaining pictures - Reid at one of his PhD graduations, a smiling and obviously proud Dave standing next to him; Reid at his FBI Academy graduation, flanked by Dave, Gideon, and Hotch. "Reid's your son." She couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Adopted, but yes, he is my son." The pride in Dave's voice was unmistakable.
"The Bureau lets you work together?"
"It's . . . a very long story, Emily." Dave put his hand on her shoulder. "But yeah, they let us work together. They do know. It would be hard for them not to," he said.
"Considering I was left on the steps of the FBI as an infant," Reid said from the doorway, "it would be nearly impossible for the FBI not to know Dad and I are related." Emily looked over at him, shocked, and he shrugged. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes."
Emily blinked. "I'm going to go get dressed," she said finally.
Dave nodded. "Me too."
They headed up the stairs as Reid went back into the kitchen. Once back in Dave's bedroom, Emily picked up her clothes and started unbuttoning Dave's shirt she was wearing. "So. Reid is your son, he's sleeping with Hotch, I'm sleeping with you. Please tell me that Morgan is not your long-lost cousin."
"Morgan is not my long-lost cousin," Dave said obediently as he got dressed. "But yes, Spencer is my son and Hotch is, well, pretty much my son-in-law."
Emily shook her head as she finished dressing. "Why didn't you say anything earlier? I mean, God, Dave, you have a son, and you never told me!"
"I know, Emily, I know." Dave sighed. "I'm sorry. Spencer and I . . . the team isn't supposed to know. The Bureau's turned this into an experiment in families working together. Not that it hasn't leaked out - Garcia knows, but as Spencer says, Garcia knows everything."
"Hotch knows, and Gideon had to know."
"Gideon knew because he was with me when we found Spencer on the steps of the FBI. Hotch knows because we worked together when Spencer was still a teenager."
Emily turned to face Dave. "Hotch knew Reid as a teenager, and he's sleeping with him now?"
Dave gave her a lopsided smile. "To Hotch's credit, there was never anything inappropriate while Spencer was underage. I don't think Hotch was even attracted to Spencer until after they started working together. They didn't start seeing each other until after Hotch's divorce."
"God, this is so messed up," Emily muttered. "Left in a basket on the steps of the FBI?" she asked, thinking of what Reid had said earlier.
"God knows, it's a cliché, but yes, he was. And yes, I adopted him." Dave gave a casual shrug, but the emotion in his voice belied the indifference. "He's my son, Emily."
"I just can't see you as father and son. I mean, he profiled you with us! He quoted your books with glee!"
Dave scratched the back of his head. "Well, I knew the three of you were in my office. I sorta let Spencer know it was okay to mess with your heads a bit. After all, we did have appearances to maintain. Even if I wanted to call him a liar for saying he couldn't tell the artwork was original. He damn well knew it was."
"And your books? You seemed awfully surprised he was quoting them word for word."
"Emily, no matter how often I hear Spencer doing that, the fact that he can still amazes me. I mean, I'm no slouch, but I have a son who is an absolute genius, who could do anything he wanted to with his life, and he chose to follow his old man into profiling, no matter how hard I tried to discourage him."
Emily blinked at that. "You tried to discourage him? I would have thought --"
"That I was like Gideon, and pushing him into it?" Dave shook his head. "I wanted him to be happy, Em. I never wanted him to feel like he had to do this to make me happy. Yeah, I admit, having Spencer follow me into the BAU is a point of pride, but if he left tomorrow and took one of the positions Georgetown keeps trying to lure him in with, I'd be just as proud of him."
"But you never came to visit him, never said anything before you came back to the BAU, and Reid definitely never said his father was David Rossi. And why isn't he Spencer Rossi if he's your son?"
"Spencer felt awkward enough being Gideon's protégé. Letting people know he was my son would have made it just that much harder for him. As for being Spencer Reid instead of Spencer Rossi, I never wanted to hide his adoption from him, never wanted to make him feel like he couldn't find his birth mother if he wanted to." Dave sighed. "Unfortunately Spencer's biological father passed away before he was born, but his mother's still alive. I know Spencer visits her every once in a while, though I don't know if she recognizes him as her son." At Emily's questioning look, Dave sighed again. "She's paranoid schizophrenic, and was institutionalized not long after she left him at the FBI. I, ah," Dave shrugged, a sheepish look on her face, "had her moved from the state facility to a private one not long after I adopted Spencer. I didn't want him to see her in one of those places when he decided to look for her."
Emily shook her head at that. Dave was paying for the care of his son's biological mother, simply because she was Reid's biological mother, no matter that she'd abandoned her child to be raised by strangers. Because he loved his son that much. "You, David Rossi, are a fraud."
"What?" Dave looked shocked.
Moving so she could wrap her arms around his neck, causing him to put his hands on her waist, Emily smiled up at him. "You act all gruff and mean, trying to convince people you are some cold-hearted bastard, when the truth is you," she removed one hand to poke into his chest, "are a big old softy."
Dave looked down at her, the surprise in his eyes giving way to something more serious. "Only when it comes to my son, and certain dark haired lady profilers. The rest of the time? I really am that mean old bastard."
Laughing, Emily leaned up to kiss him. "Well, I'm flattered to be in exclusive company, then."
"Very exclusive. I'm not even a softy when it comes to Hotch. Especially not when he and Spencer argue." Dave sighed. "I'm going to have to hide his body one of these days." He didn't look serious about it.
"What if it was Reid's fault?" From Reid's expression earlier, the argument might have been at least partly his fault.
"Then I'll let Hotch live. Maybe." He looked down at Emily. "Oh, hell, who am I kidding? Spencer would never forgive me if I hurt Hotch, even if they broke up."
"Softy," Emily said again with a smile.
"Yeah," Dave agreed, leaning in to kiss her. "So, Spencer probably has breakfast ready."
"Oh God," Emily said, hiding her face against Dave's chest. "Reid knows we're sleeping together."
"Yes, he does." Dave drew out his reply, making it more of a question.
"I just . . . I have to face Reid knowing that he knows that I'm sleeping with his father."
Dave's hand rubbed comforting circles on her back. "Spencer will be fine with it, Em. Once he's gotten over his shock at seeing you here. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time that he's come over unexpectedly when I have . . . company. It's just been several years, since I generally tend to warn him when I start dating again. Which I couldn't exactly do in this instance. Even though I know Spencer isn't one to throw the fraternization regs at me."
"Pot, Kettle," Emily said with a small smile.
"Exactly." Dave kissed her again. "So, I don't know about you, but I'm starving, and my son is a genius in the kitchen. Much better than I am."
Emily gave Dave a sidelong smile. "I think I've got the better end of the deal," she said. At Dave's raised eyebrow, she leaned up to murmur in his ear. "I got the genius in the bedroom." She pulled away from him when he tried to kiss her. "Not with your son in the house!" she said, pretending to be scandalized. Before Dave could stop her, she opened the door.
"You're an evil woman, Emily Prentiss," Dave said behind her, but she could hear the smile on his face.
"It's why you love me," she replied, barely managing to keep from faltering on the stairs as what she said hit her.
"Yeah, it is," Dave said softly, smiling, steadying her with a hand on her arm. She smiled back at him, leaning in to kiss him when Reid's voice interrupted.
"I thought we had a moratorium on making out in each other's presence!"
Emily turned, but Reid was still in the kitchen. Next to her, Dave snorted. "When you and Hotch keep to that rule, Emily and I will," he called back, before kissing her deeply. Emily heard Reid laugh, but she was too caught up in Dave's kiss to take offense at his good natured teasing of his dad.
Besides, she could tease Reid about Hotch, too. All was fair in love and war, and this? Was definitely love.
Jennifer Jareau
Pulling into her driveway, JJ was surprised to see Hotch's car behind Reid's. She sighed. She'd called Reid several hours ago because Will had been out of town for a few days, testifying on one of his cases in New Orleans that was finally going to trial, and Henry had been fussy all day and JJ just needed the chance to get out of the house by herself. Fortunately, Reid had been more than willing to babysit his godson for a few hours.
Still, she wasn't sure why Hotch was here. That was a little disconcerting.
Letting herself into the house, JJ called out "I'm home!" She shut the door and sniffed at the air, her stomach rumbling at the scent of cooking lasagna.
"Hey, JJ," Reid said, coming out of the kitchen. "Hope you don't mind, figured I'd make dinner since I didn't know how long you'd be gone. I didn't think you'd mind having homemade leftovers, either."
JJ smiled. "I don't mind. Why is Hotch here?" she asked. "I didn't think I missed a call."
"You didn't. And Henry's fine. Hotch is upstairs with him. I, ah, called him because I wasn't quite sure on putting Henry to bed and I didn't know when you'd be back." Reid shrugged.
JJ smiled. "I hadn't thought about that, but that was a good idea." Her stomach rumbled and she gave Reid a sheepish look. "Sorry, guess I'm hungrier than I thought."
"Not a problem, it should be done now."
JJ followed Reid into the kitchen. The table was set for two, but Reid was already moving to get another plate and silverware. "Making yourself at home, I see," she said, sitting down at the table. Reid shot her a grin as he set the plate in front of her, handing her the silverware and going back to the oven.
Hotch entered the room. "JJ," he said. "I didn't know you were back," he said. "Henry just fell asleep."
JJ smiled. "I'm sorry to bother you, Hotch, I just had to get out of the house for a bit."
Sitting down at the table, Hotch gave her a smile. "Trust me, I remember those days."
Reid snorted as he cut into the lasagna. "My dad won't let me forget that he had those days."
JJ chuckled. "Are you saying I'll be able to blackmail Henry with this later?"
"Totally. Works for my dad. He gets me to cook for him." Reid brought the pan over and served the lasagna before setting it on the counter and joining them at the table.
"I don't blame him," Hotch said. "Reid's a fantastic cook," he said to JJ.
JJ took a bite of her lasagna and hummed in agreement. "Oh my god, I might have to dump Will for you, Spence," she said, taking another bite.
"Sorry, JJ, I'm spoken for," Reid replied.
JJ gave him a wink. "I carry a gun, I might be able to fight her for you."
Reid gave a small laugh. "He carries one, too," he said, not looking at her, nervously pushing a lock of hair behind his ear.
Oh. Well, that was a surprise. Then JJ caught the glance Reid gave Hotch, and the smile Hotch gave him in return. "Oh!"
Hotch gave her a wry smile. "Trust me, I understand the 'marry me' reaction to Reid's cooking. It's why I don't let him cook for just anyone."
"So, you proposed to Reid the first time he cooked for you?" JJ asked, genuinely curious, wondering when their relationship had come about, but not surprised that she hadn't seen it before now. They were profilers, and they'd know how to hide things from other people - including the rest of the team.
"Um, not exactly, as Hotch was married at the time and I was sixteen. I think my father would have shot Hotch and dumped the body in the Potomac if he'd proposed."
"Your father threatens to dump my body in the Potomac on a regular basis," Hotch replied calmly.
JJ blinked. "Sixteen? I didn't think you'd joined the FBI until you were twenty."
Reid and Hotch exchanged glances, then Reid set his fork down. "I didn't join the FBI until I was twenty, but my dad was, well, is an FBI agent, so . . . I wasn't unknown to Hotch and Gideon when I was a kid."
JJ looked between the two. "There's something you're not telling me."
Reid bit his lip, glancing at Hotch again. JJ looked at him. Hotch looked . . . worried. "What is it?" she asked.
"JJ . . . this isn't a secret that was kept lightly," Hotch said. "It was orders from the brass. Part of a pilot project, they said."
JJ set her own fork down. "What, Reid is Gideon's secret love child?"
Reid coughed. "Ah, no." He sighed, looking down at his plate. "I was abandoned as an infant on the steps of the old BAU bunker. Gideon, Ryan, and Rossi were the agents who found me." He swallowed. "JJ, David Rossi is my dad."
JJ felt her eyebrows going up, and she looked to Hotch, wondering if this was a joke. He shook his head. "It's not a joke, JJ. Rossi is Reid's dad. It's how I met Reid when he was sixteen."
JJ sat back in her chair, staring at them. Hotch's face was unreadable, as usual, but Reid looked worried and guilty at the same time. "I can see why you didn't tell anyone," she finally said, trying to reconcile this in her mind. It explained a few things, like the odd way Rossi had been protective of Reid back when Rossi had joined the team. "Who else knows? Or am I the last one to find out?"
"Unfortunately, you're the last, but that wasn't deliberate, JJ. Garcia figured it out early on, since Dad and I are each other's emergency contacts. I had to tell Morgan because he saw how close Dad and I were and, well," Reid grimaced, "he drew the entirely wrong conclusion. I kinda had to set him straight after that."
"I can see why," JJ said, blinking. That wasn't a rumor they needed to have spread around the Bureau.
Hotch eyed Reid. "Did you tell him about us?"
"No! I just told him about dad." Reid shifted a bit in his chair. "Emily knows about Hotch and Dad, but not all of that was my fault. And Elle knows about Dad - he and I ran into her after she left the BAU, before Dad came back." He looked up at JJ. "You, Dad, and Emily are the only ones who know about me and Hotch, though."
JJ remained quiet, trying to come to terms with everything she'd learned tonight. Reid looked nervous. Hotch was harder to read, as usual, but she could see the tense way he was holding himself, as if expecting her to react badly. Which she understood, but it hurt a little. Didn't they know her better than that?
They probably did, she realized, but this was something that most people in the Bureau wouldn't understand - neither Reid and Rossi being relatives in the same unit nor Hotch and Reid being involved. Even with as long as they'd known her, as long as they'd trusted her with their lives on the job, this was trusting her with their lives outside of the jobs. A life she'd tried to guard as carefully as they had.
"So," she finally said, slowly. "Infant boy is abandoned on the steps of the FBI, FBI profiler adopts baby and raises him as his own son, said son grows up to join the FBI profiling unit, and father triumphantly returns to the FBI and they ride off into the sunset together, fighting crime. I think I saw this movie on Lifetime once, with Joe Mantegna playing the father," she added with a smile.
Reid snorted. "You left out Hotch," he said.
"Yeah, I wasn't quite sure where that fit in the timeline of the movie," she said. It was as close as she could get to asking them about when they'd started their relationship, without outright asking. The fact that Hotch had known Reid since Reid was sixteen brought up all sorts of concerns that JJ didn't want to think about.
"After the father triumphantly returns to the FBI, before the ride into the sunset," Hotch said quietly. "And when I knew my divorce from Haley would be finalized. Believe me, JJ, my body would deservedly be in the Potomac if I'd so much as thought anything inappropriate while Reid was underage."
Reid reached out and put his hand on Hotch's, a gesture that JJ didn't miss, nor did she miss the way Reid's thumb stroked over Hotch's skin. When did things change? she wanted to ask, but she was afraid she knew. She still heard Reid's voice saying I choose Aaron Hotchner in her nightmares.
I knew you'd understand. Those soft words hadn't just come from Reid's trust in SSA Hotchner as a teammate, but from nearly ten years of having Aaron Hotchner as a friend. Reid had known that Hotch wouldn't take his words as the death warrant that Tobias Hankel wanted, but as the clues Reid had intended them to be.
The look Hotch was giving Reid was one she hadn't seen on the older man in a long time. Warm, affectionate - definitely a man in love. Reid was returning the look with a small smile on his lips.
"Okay, you two, no making mushy eyes at each other at my table," she finally said, surprised when Reid burst out laughing at the remark.
"Dave has a 'no making out, no details' rule in place about the two of us," Hotch explained with a smile.
"Not that we actually do anything like that in front of him. Well, not often," Reid added when Hotch quirked an eyebrow at him. "But Dad's a bit squeamish about that."
"Speaking as a mother, I know that I don't want details of Henry's sex life when he's old enough to have one," JJ said. "His children will be brought by the stork." She paused. "Seriously, Reid, left in a basket on the steps of the FBI?"
Reid grinned widely. "Dad still has the basket."
Hotch looked surprised at that. "He does?"
Reid nodded. "He'll deny it, but he's a packrat. Don't ever ask to see his attic. Although I think we've got some spectacular old toys for Jack and Henry up there. I should raid it and see what we can find."
"Lead paint, who knows how many types of bad-for-children chemicals. . ." JJ said with a grin.
"Hey, I turned out all right!"
"Define 'all right'," Hotch said with a grin. Reid just shot him a glare.
The rest of the meal passed amicably, and when they were done, Hotch insisted on doing the dishes, letting JJ drag Reid upstairs so she could check on Henry.
Once she'd made sure that her son was sleeping peacefully, hopefully for a few more hours, she shut the door to his room and turned to Reid. "Spence, why did you never mention that Rossi was your dad before he came back?"
Reid gave her a smile. "I was being judged already on my three Ph.D.s and my age. I didn't want to be judged on my family connections as well. I know you won't now, JJ," he said before she could interrupt, "but back then? The only people I knew in the BAU were Gideon and Hotch, and it was hard enough that everyone else saw me as Dr. Reid, Agent Gideon's protégé. I didn't want to be Dr. Reid, Agent Rossi's son and Agent Gideon's protégé. I just wanted to be Agent Reid, frankly." He tucked a lock of hair behind his ears and looked away. "There were a lot of times those first few years when I almost just walked away and went back to college."
JJ looked at him in surprise. "You wanted to quit?" she repeated.
A rueful smile crossed Reid's face. "I actually had my resignation ready to turn in twice."
"I never knew," JJ said. Even after Hankel, Reid had never seemed like he was willing to leave the FBI. "Gideon talk you out of it?"
"Actually," the rueful smile changed to something warmer, "Hotch did. It was easier to talk to him first. My resignation letters never got to Gideon, although knowing him, he figured it out. He just never said anything to me."
"I'm glad Hotch talked you out of it," JJ said. "Otherwise, Henry wouldn't have a godfather."
"What, you wouldn't want Morgan as his godfather?"
"Will and I wanted you. We know that you and Garcia would raise Henry the way we would want. Hotch would have been great, I know, but we didn't want to hurt him by reminding him too much of Jack," she added softly.
"JJ, I know it wouldn't have hurt him. He was actually thrilled tonight when I called him to basically admit I was out of my depth at putting Henry to bed." Reid chuckled. "I can memorize obscure books and recite them word for word, I've even memorized child care books, but when it comes down to actually getting Henry undressed and bathed and ready for bed," Reid shrugged. "I was out of my comfort zone. And the only other agent that I knew had recent experience was Aaron. So I called him and begged for his help. Just before you got back, he was singing to Henry to settle him down." Reid looked nervous. "I apologize in advance for any emotional scarring that may occur to Henry's psyche as a result of Aaron singing Queen's 'The Show Must Go On'."
JJ blinked at Reid. "You're kidding me."
Reid help up his cell phone. "I'm totally not. I have video. By the way? Henry loved it."
"There's a joke in there somewhere that I think I'm just going to step far, far away from."
"Probably for the best," Reid said as they headed down the stairs and back to the kitchen, where Hotch was finishing up the dishes. Reid automatically moved over to stand next to Hotch, taking a dish from him and drying it without either of them saying a word. That went on until the dishes were done and Reid was putting them away.
JJ just sat at her kitchen table and watched, amused at the way that Hotch and Reid were so in synch with each other. Even in the field, on the worst cases where none of them were truly on their game, Hotch and Reid always had a glimmer of something between them that could be counted on to offer up something - not always the brilliant "here's the unsub on a platter!" insights Gideon had been known for - but a new avenue no one had considered, a new angle on a piece of evidence that wasn't considered important before. Something enough to jump start the investigation, get them going again and out to find the unsub. Sometimes Hotch and Reid would have something that amounted to nothing more than a wild goose chase - until the one tame goose in the middle of the flock was found. And she really needed to stop watching those hunting shows with Will.
JJ smiled at Reid when he looked over at her, and her smile widened at the look Hotch gave Reid. They were both besotted, even if they didn't say it.
"Why does that look in your eye scare me?" Hotch asked as he set a mug of tea down in front of JJ before taking his seat at the table with his own mug. Reid sat down next to Hotch, a bottle of water in his hands.
"Will likes to joke about the BAU being a family and puts us into the stories he tells Henry at night. Stories where Mom-Hotch and Dad-Rossi are kicking butt alongside their sons Flirty-Tackler Morgan and Boy-Genius Reid, and their daughters Quietly Kickass Emily and Silver-Tongued JJ, and with help from the eccentric cousin Garcia who we suspect is on Hotch's side of the family. Now, though, we are totally going to re-think this."
"Please?" Hotch said in a slightly strangled voice. "Otherwise, I'm afraid of what will happen to me if Disney gets hold of this, considering their track record with mothers."
JJ wrinkled her nose. "Good point." She pointed her mug at Reid. "We need a better BAU fairytale to tell Henry and Jack and any kids Dave, Morgan, Emily, and Garica might have."
"God help those kids," Reid muttered. "Dad was once cursed that he'd have a dozen more just like me."
"Who did that?" Hotch asked.
"Father Michelli."
Hotch shook his head and pulled Reid closer to kiss the top of his head. "Don't ever change, Spence," he murmured, a content smile on his face.
JJ didn't understand the joke, but she did understand the expression on their faces. "Guys, seriously, thank you for coming over to watch Henry."
The two men straightened up. "Not a problem, JJ, you know that. Any time," Reid said, a beaming smile on his face.
"Next time I'll make sure he knows what he's doing before I let him over," Hotch said with a wink. JJ laughed at that, and walked the two men to her front door, watching them both leave before she shut the door and went up to check on Henry again.