Chapter Text
Lying in the hotel room that night, Spencer couldn’t help but smile, even though he had been embarrassed by his mother’s comment on Derek. His husband had burst into fits of laughter before beaming proudly as he readied for bed.
“You Reid’s love my chiselled good looks.” He boasted as he put down the toothbrush and reached for the mouthwash.
“Ha, my mother and I might, but if my father caught us here, he would be anything but blunt about his disdain for you.”
“And the feeling would be mutual. Speaking of which, what does he look like?”
“Why on earth would you want to know?”
“That man, last night, the one giving me odd looks, could it have been him?” Spencer was unsure as to whether Derek was speaking to him, or merely thinking out loud.
“He is slight built, about five eleven if my memory is correct.” Derek scoffed in response. “He has my coloured hair, though he was balding when I saw him last.”
“Not him so, this guy was tall and balding with black hair, better built too.”
“I don’t know who that was so.” Spencer shrugged, turning over to go to sleep.
“Fair enough.” Derek lifted the covers and got into the bed. He looked to the gently snoring baby to his right in the travel cot, and curled up to sleep, wrapping himself around Spencer.
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The next morning they made their way to Bennington again before their flight. Again Aidan was only happy in his nana’s arms as she recited nursery rhymes to the child, Spencer knew she was itching to tell the child the true meaning of such poems as Jack and Jill and Mary Mary, but not wanting to upset the young child. Aidan just listened at first before making attempts to hit the notes she had during the song.
All too soon, it came time for the young family to leave once more for Virginia.
“Stay safe sweetheart, and look after my precious grandson.” Diana smiled as Spencer went to rise from his seat.
“Of course I will Mom.” Spencer assured.
“And as for you Derek, I would tell you to look after my son, but he is far more capable than people seem to think.”
“I had noticed.” Derek smiled fondly looking to his husband.
Diana seemed satisfied her words were absorbed and gently placed her hands on her knees and leant forward to get as close as she could to her grandson who seemed all too aware his time with her was running out. “And you, young man. Keep expanding your mind and broadening your horizons, is that understood?” she smiled gently at the child as his eyes welled with tears.
“Bye bye nana, ove ouu.” He made the unsteady step forward and fell onto her legs hugging them.
The usually seemingly distant woman wrapped her arms around the small boy and kissed his head. “I love you more than words will ever describe Sweetheart.”
Spencer could not see with the tears in his eyes as he watched the loving exchange between his mother and his son. Derek stepped in and carried Aidan, who only turned to his grandmother and waved sadly as time restraints forced the men to bring him from her room.
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As the front door opened, Derek sighed to get home. Aidan was dozing slightly on Spencer’s shoulder as Derek pushed open the door and put the duffle bag on the floor. He turned to take Aidan from Spencer only for Spencer to weave slightly away from him and silently shake his head, implying he would take Aidan to his room.
He placed the youngster in his cot bed and took off his shoes and jumper. He checked his diaper was dry and decided it would last until Aidan’s ritualistic midnight bottle. He placed a patchwork quilt that Fran had made on him and turned on the little nightlight and sound monitor before turning off the main light and closing the door. He smiled as he thought about the day again and descended the stairs.
As Spencer made his way to the last step he heard Derek swearing in the other room. Assuming his husband had banged his foot on the edge of a cabinet or something he walked over to him. Derek was so engrossed in something; he never even heard Spencer’s approach.
“Son of a bitch.”
“Derek.” The older jumped. “What is it? Is something wrong?” He looked around his husband and saw him seemingly trying to break the answering machine. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” But after over a year together, Spencer knew “nothing” meant something. He just looked on at Derek.
“Don’t concern yourself with it, just go let Clooney in, or order a pizza or something.”
“Derek, what is it?” Concern seeped into Spencer’s voice.
Knowing he had been caught red handed, Derek sighed, placed the answering machine back on the table and pressed play.
The automated voice came on “You have four new messages”
“Dr. Morgan-Reid, this is Adrian Foley in ThInk, your newest order of supplies are in, and are available for collection at your earliest convenience. Our records say that you are paid in full so hope to see you soon. Goodbye.”
Nothing to cause agitation in that message.
“Mr. Morgan-Reid, this is Michelle Torres in WorkOut, your order of 20kg plates are in. Please call us to know when you are collecting them, our hours are somewhat scattered this week, we are short staffed this week. Thank you.”
Again, nothing of major note.
“Hello my darlings, Clooney is fed and I brought him back this morning. I was going to write a note, but your pens are so boring, you really should consider getting in some fluffy ones, but anyhoo, anyhow, anyway, I will see you eye candies in the morning, bright and early. Love you both.”
A tame message by Garcia’s standards. Then he saw Derek stiffen.
“You perverted little shit. How fucking dare you bring that bastard and that freak spawn here to Vegas. You disgusting faggot. Parading around as though you’re normal. I should have beaten you more when you were a child and maybe you wouldn’t like getting it up the ass from some homo. I could tell from the day you were born you were a dud. If there is something wrong with the bitch, then there is something wrong with the pup! To think, I had the humiliation of Shelly and her mother telling me they saw you out, pretending to be a couple with that twisted asshole. And my workmates, it’s out, you have fucking ruined me. I swear to God boy, if I see you again it will be too soon. The humiliation.”
And with that the phone call cut off. Derek was shaking in pure fury. Spencer was convinced he was all but ready to catch another flight back to Vegas to nigh on murder the man. He processed the phone call himself before taking two deep breathes and going over to the bag and beginning to take the dirty laundry from it and placing it in the washing machine.
Derek stood in disbelief for a few minutes, staring at Spencer. “Did you not just hear the same message I just heard? How are you even able to think of doing laundry Spencer?” though he knew his anger was misplaced, Derek was somewhat hurt and confused by Spencer’s absolute lack of reaction.
“I heard.” Spencer confirmed as he turned their son’s socks inside out.
“And?”
“We are going to do to him what my mother does. Only perhaps go one further,”
“Meaning?”
“You know that picture we got the orderly to take of us with Mom?” Derek nodded, recalling the argument with Diana to get her to pose. The woman only relenting at the request of Aidan.
“We are going to use that as a Christmas card and send it to him. ‘Love from your real family’, with loads of x’s, maybe even borrow one of Garcia’s pink glittery pens.”
Derek laughed at both the image and release of tension; Spencer’s reaction confused him out of his anger.
“He and his opinions don’t matter. We all have each other, and every family has its bad eggs, he just so happens to be a particulars woe some one and he knows it.”
Spencer kissed his husbands cheek as he headed to the sitting room once more, as he recalled his conversation with his mother about teasing William and smiled.