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“SSA Rossi comes back from retirement to support our Team.” Hotch looked down in the Bullpen. “He will be here in a few hours, be ready.” He looked at Spencer, who had just rolled his eyes, and motioned for him to follow Hotch in his Office.
“He already told me.” he said, the second he had closed the door behind himself. Hotch smirked.
“Good. Would not have been pretty if I had to tell you.” Spencer snorted. “Also, he told me that you had an agreement to not tell anyone, is that right?” Spencer nodded.
“Yeah, I will have the fun of my life.” He smiled at Hotch and left the office.
“Hey, Kid, what did Hotch want?” Spencer looked at Morgan with big eyes.
“He just wanted that I don’t overwhelm Agent Rossi.” by Morgan’s frown, he got red, “I read his books and use them for my studies in Criminology.” Morgan snorted and rolled his eyes.
“When do you have even time for that?” Spencer blushed even harder and sat back down at his table.
“I like learning.”
“That's him.” Garcia looked at the man that just came in the Bullpen, from her place behind Spencer's shoulder, who also looked at the man.
“Agent Rossi.” Hotch came down from his office and held out his hand to the older man.
“Aaron, it's good to see you.” both men smiled, when they turned around to the rest of the team. “That is the Team. SSA Emily Prentiss,” Emily nodded, “SSA Derek Morgan,”
“It's an honor, Agent Rossi.” Rossi smiled.
“Just Dave.” while Hotch kept talking.
“Our Tech specialist, Agent Penelope Garcia,” Garcia smiled at him and nodded, “and our youngest Dr. Spencer Reid.” Spencer smiled and took a step forward.
“Sir, if I could talk to you later about your work with the Scarsdale Skinner. Psycholinguistics is an incredibly dynamic field, and the fact that your profile of his reading habits ultimately led to his capture is something I find so incredibly intrig--” Hotch sighed.
“Slow down, Reid.” Spencer blushed and stepped back next to Garcia, who put a hand on his arm. Rossi followed the young man with his eyes but didn’t say anything. “He stays for a while.”
“We should go, JJ is waiting.” Morgan looked from Spencer to Rossi and nodded his head in the direction of the meeting room. Emily nodded and the Team left to get their new case.
Later, when Rossi and Spencer were alone in the Police Department of Little Creek Reservoir in Virginia, Rossi looked at Spencer.
“Now I understand why you are always so stressed.” Spencer grinned.
“Yeah, it's not just writing books.” Rossi rolled his eyes.
“Turn down that sass, tesoro.” Spencer mock gasped, but just turned back to the board.
“But your friends seem nice.”
“I know. What do you think about Garcia?” Spencer asked and snorted when he saw Rossi’s look.
“She is special, like you.” Rossi watched the younger man flush again and laughed. “I missed seeing you every day.” Spencer smiled brightly, but still rolled his eyes.
“I’m 26, babbo, I moved out years ago.” Rossi smiled and stepped beside Spencer.
“I know, still.” he sighed. “What is the PhD doing?” Spencer grimaced.
“Still going, I guess.” he smirked at the older men. “You know that I will have so much fun with this whole thing, right?” Rossi sighed.
“Yes, yes I know.”
A few weeks later Spencer watched when a kid got shot in front of him, and he didn’t know what to do next, so when Rossi appeared beside him, he just did what he was told.
“Hey, sei con me?” Spencer blinked slowly, and then looked up at Rossi.
“Non....non lo so.” Rossi smiled softly and laid his hand on Spencer's cheek.
“Va bene. Vacci piano.” Spencer nodded.
“Ok.”
*****
Hotch stood a few steps away and watched the pair interact with each other. He always knew that they had a special connection from the moment he had met them. He looked to the Unsub for a moment, before he zeroed back in, on the soft Italian coming from Rossi and Spencer, still in their own little bubble.
“It's strange.” Hotch frowned at Morgan, who had stepped up beside him. “Spencer is normally not that good with people.”
“Dave was a friend of Gideon, maybe they met each other before.” Hotch said, trying to find the most believable explanation. Morgan shrugged.
“Yeah, maybe.” he gave Hotch one last look, bevor he left to step beside Spencer and Rossi.
“Te la caverai senza di me?” Spencer shrugged.
“Penso di sí.” Rossi nodded, satisfied with the answer, and left.
“Hey kid, you okay?” Morgan put a hand on Spencer's shoulder and waited till Spencer looked at him.
“I guess.” he shrugged again. Morgan sighed.
“Okay. I know, kids are hard.” Spencer nodded and stood up.
“I just, I want to go back to the Hotel, okay? So, we can go home.” He looked at Hotch, who nodded, and then at Rossi. “Posso venire a casa tua domani?” Rossi smiled and nodded.
“Certo.”
“Reid! That was dangerous!” Spencer jumped a bit and turned around to Hotch.
“I know, but I did it! He didn’t shoot anyone and we could arrest him.” Hotch set his jaw, and pulled out his phone. Spencer’s eyes grew wide. “No, Hotch, please don’t do that!” Hotch shot him down with a look and proceeded to call someone.
“Dave, I think you have to talk to someone.” Spencer went white, and shook his head almost frantic, but Hotch just gave him his phone.
“What did you do piantagrane?” Spencer stepped away from Hotch, but not before he glared at him.
“I didn’t even do anything!” there was a pause on the other end.
“Let me guess, that was the problem. Don’t science your way out of this.” Spencer crossed his arms and pouted.
“I didn’t...” but he didn’t even get the chance to make an excuse.
“I know you, piccolo, you tried to talk your way out of the situation, and I’m proud of your for trying to find a non-violent way, but you know the rules.” Spencer rolled his eyes, “Don't roll your eyes at me!” he spluttered.
“How... How do you even know that I rolled my eyes?” he sighed, “Forget it, I heard you.” he saw Morgan coming up to him and switched to Italian. “Mi dispiace ok? Non lo fare mai più.” he heard a sigh from the other end and grinned, he knew that he had won.
“Va bene, ma parleremo.” Rossi answered, also switching to Italian. “Stai al sicuro.” Spencer smiled softly.
“Non metterti nei guai.”
The first time that anyone came even close to figuring out the real relationship between Rossi and Spencer, was almost a year later, when Emily and Spencer were trapped inside a church together with a religious fanatic.
“Rossi, I want you to make the negotiations.” Rossi looked at Hotch and opened his mouth, but said nothing. “Why get a student, when I can get the teacher?”
“Because the teacher is emotionally involved!” he looked to the place where Morgan and JJ were already standing above the maps. “Spencer is in there, I can't be objective.” Hotch nodded.
“I know, but you are the best shot we have, if you want Spencer back here, then you have to negotiate.”
******
Spencer was still in the cellar with Cyrus, when the call came.
“You killed my mom and daddy, will you kill me too?” he closed his eyes, and hoped that he would be able to forget that sentence, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to. And then he heard Rossis voice through the phone, and Cyrus didn’t want to send the wounded, and finally, finally, he allowed Rossi to come and bring everything they needed to treat the wounded, and Spencer felt like he could cry.
Of course, he was used to being in danger, but a religious lunatic was always worse than a killer. And in those moments, he was always glad to know that Rossi, his father, was on the other side trying to get him back.
When Rossi came, he didn’t even get a look at him, but he had all that he needed to know the plan. Spencer took one deep breath and squared his shoulder, willing himself to do what he had to do.
*****
The Second Rossi was back with his Team, he closed the Door behind himself and took a deep breath. When he looked back up, Hotch was standing in front of him.
“Are they hurt?” Rossi shrugged. Hotch put a hand on Rossi’s shoulder and forced the older men to look at him. “Rossi, are they hurt?”
“No, at least I don’t think they are. I didn’t see them.” Hotch nodded. “Do you think that they get the plan?”
“Yes. If Prentiss doesn’t get it, Reid will. Spencer will get it.”
And he did. Spencer made Cyrus talk about his plans, give them all the Information that they needed to form a plan to get him out of there. They heard Cyrus beating up Emily, they heard him hit Spencer and they heard his Test run for the mass suicide.
Rossi was practically vibrating with fear, while they brought the civilians out. He knew that Spencer was still with Cyrus, with the Bomb. But he let Morgan go, to bring Spencer put, did what he could for the civilians and then watched the Church go up in flames.
“Spencer!” Rossi looked at Hotch in panic and then back to the Church, where to his horror there was still no sign of Spencer and Morgan. “Hotch, please tell me that my son did not just go up in flames.”
“He didn’t.” Hotch pointed to the Church, where Spencer was just standing up and immediately crushed by Emily.
“Grazie a Dio!” Rossi looked at Hotch and then left to make sure that Spencer was okay.
“Non lo farai mai più.” was the first thing he then said. Spencer broke away from Emily and turned to Rossi.
“Non è come se avessi avuto una scelta.” he tried a smile, but gave up, when Rossi just hugged him. “Mi dispiace. Non volevo farti preoccuparti, babbo.” Spencer saw Emily frown in the corner of his eyes, but didn’t want to think about it.
“Quando arriviamo a casa non ti perderó piú d'occhio.” Rossi sighed, while Spencer laughed softly.
“Per me va bene.”
The day that everyone really figured it out, was when Spencer was stuck in a house, with Anthrax. And he was dying. He took one deep breath and decided.
“Hey Garcia? Can you...... can you call Rossi for me, please?” he sat leaning against the wall and waited, listening to Garcia’s babbling.
“Yes, of course. Why, did you find something?” she sounded confused and hopeful and so many more emotions that Spencer could not really understand.
“No, not...not really.” he chuckled softly and waited till he heard Rossi’s voice.
“Garcia? Did you have luck with anything?”
“No, I’m sorry Sir. Spencer wanted me to call you.”
“Hey babbo.” Spencer smiled a little when he heard Rossi’s breath hitch.
“Hey Spenc, what is your Status?”
“Not good. But I wanted to tell you something, and I need you to listen to me.” Spencer closed his eyes and tried to concentrated on only Rossi’s voice and breathing.
“Always, I will always listen to you, tesoro.”
“I wanted to thank you, for taking me in, all those years ago. For giving me a home, and a family. And for taking care of me and bringing me to the BAU when I didn’t know what to do.” he swallowed hard and felt the tears sting in his eyes. “And for coming back when Uncle Jason left us...... me.”
“Spencer, you need to breath.” he nodded.
“Yes, yes I know. I just... I’m trying to find the right words to,” he laughed, “to say goodbye, I guess. I don’t even know.”
“You don’t need to find words, I know, and I love you too.” Spencer nodded, even without someone to see him.
“Garcia, can you record? Please? I need to have someone for my mum.” he heard Garcia tipping, and waited till she gave the go, before he spoke again. “Hi, mom. This is Spencer. I just, um...” he sighed, “I just...really want you to know, that I love you, and--” his voice broke and he cleared his Throat, “I need you to know that I spend every day of my life Proud to be your son.” he nodded to himself and then listened to the labored breaths of Garcia and his father .
“Dr. Reid, I found it.” He looked at the Doctor. He had completely forgotten that she was even there. She had a asthma regulator in her hand, and Spencer sighed. He really hoped that that would work.
“Spenc, go! I will meet you at the hospital!” Spencer nodded, even though Rossi couldn’t see him.
“Okay.”
*****
Morgan refused to leave his friend alone. To big the fear that he would lose Spencer.
“Morgan, I’m serious, go. Hotch needs you.” Morgan took one last look at Spencer and then left.
After that Spencer’s memory got hazy, till he woke up at the Hospital. Morgan was sitting on his left side. Reading a magazine. While Rossi sat on his right side, their hands intervened. He let his hand jump, still blinking lazily.
“Babbo.” Rossi’s head shot up, eyes finding Spencer’s.
“Tesoro.” Spencer smiled at him and then closed his eyes again.
“Can I have jello?” Morgan laughed.
“Anything you want kid.”
“So you guys figured it out?” asked Hotch on the first day, everyone was back at BAU. Spencer and Rossi sat beside each other, Spencer grinning.
“Yes, we did. Even though they didn’t tell us anything.” Morgan looked at them with narrowed eyes, Rossi laughed.
“Well, what can I say. We had a lot of fun.” He shrugged, and then pocked Spencer in the side.
“I don’t understand. I read your files; how could I have missed this?” asked Garcia from her place across from the father-son duo. Spencer laughed.
“It does have its perks to be working here for so long.” Rossi shrugged. Spencer rolled his eyes.
“What he means is, that my Uncle Jason, or just Gideon now, I suppose,” he frowned, “well, whatever. Gideon erased my adoptive family from my file.” a shrug.
“He wasn’t even in my file to begin with.” shrugged Rossi. “I adopted him after my retirement. We met on my last case, and after that I decided that it was time to concentrate on my books.” Hotch grinned at the rest of the team. He remembered the case by which they had first met Spencer, three years after he first joined the BAU.
“Well, I knew about it.” Emilie had crossed her arms over her chest. Spencer turned to her and frowned. “I speak Italian.” Spencer giggled softly, and even Hotch had to stop himself from laughing.
“You do know, that the two are going to be unbearable now, right? Now that they don’t have to limit themselves to Italian.” He then asked their colleagues. Spencer stuck out his tongue at him.
“Well, now it doesn’t matter what I say anymore, right?” Rossi shrugged at his son, who in turn shrugged and then looked at Hotch. “I demand a day with my nephew.” Jj snorted.