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Spencer was tired.
Scratch that, he was absolutely fucking exhausted.
This particular case had taken a lot out of him before he had even reached the BAU. Hotch’s call had forced him to leave his family abruptly at the crack of dawn without a chance to say kiss his wife goodbye or hug his boys. He had been sent out to Massachusetts with the rest of the team only a few minutes after the round table meeting.
Between the mocking riddles, the fruitless chasing that would end in nothing but a dead end, and the extensive questioning that would eventually lead to the unsub’s confession, Spencer had little to no time to talk to his family, only able to communicate for a few minutes before new intel was delivered. He knew he wasn’t the only one eager to go home; hell, he could tell JJ was just as impatient and frustrated as he was, if not more so. The need to be near his family was almost unbearable.
It had been a little over two weeks since Spencer had left, but to him, those two weeks felt like an eternity.
But now, he didn’t have to wait any longer.
The second the wheels of the jet hit the runway, Spencer hauled ass out of the aircraft and into his car.
It wasn't really a long drive; the lack of traffic at 8 AM and the urgency in Spencer's driving allowed him to arrive home in no more than 15 minutes. As the dark blue victorian came into view, he parked the car in the driveway and shut off the engine. He wasted no time in reaching into the backseat, feeling around for his go-bag. Wrapping his fingers around the black strap, Spencer got out of his car and shut the door after him, a heavy sigh leaving his lips.
Home, finally.
Spencer almost jogged up the steps of the front porch, shoving the key into the slot and turning until he heard the telltale click. Pushing the door open, he was met with silence. Furrowing his brows Spencer gently set the go-bag down by the entrance and gently closed the door behind him with his foot.
Almost immediately after the door clicked, two sets of little bare feet pattered against the hardwood floor, coming closer and closer. Turning his head to look towards the living room, Spencer’s lips turned upward into a wide smile when his twin boys came into view, rushing towards him as fast as their 4-year-old legs could carry them. Their wild brown curls bounced with every step they took, and their hazel eyes twinkled with joy at the sight of their father.
“Daddy!”
Spencer was almost knocked off his feet by the force of the two boys crashing into him, trying to wrap their little arms around him as well as they could. Spencer had to wiggle his arms out of their grip so he could wrap them around them, lifting them both off their feet and hugging them tightly. “There they are!” He laughed softly, smothering their faces with kisses and pulling away to look at them. “Oh, I missed you.”
“We missed you too,” the twin on his left arm, Noah, said, a wide grin on his face. To his right, Miles, the second twin, tugged at Spencer’s sleeve twice.
“Dad, dad! Did you get us a gift like last time?” He asked, staring up at Spencer with puppy eyes, which caused him to chuckle.
Every time Spencer had to fly out of the state, he’d bring the boys a souvenir of whatever state he had traveled to. It had become somewhat of a tradition in the past two years, and it was one Spencer would never dare break.
So, he carefully set the boys down to grab the go-bag and tug open the zipper, digging through his clothes until his fingers met cold resin. Smiling, he held the item in his hand and looked at Noah and Miles, who were practically vibrating with excitement, their hazel eyes trained on Spencer’s hand as he slowly pulled the resin human skull from the bag.
“Whoa!” Miles gasped, snatching the skull from his father’s hand and huddling with Noah, who stared in amazement. “Look, Noah! A skull!” Miles grinned, passing the white skull to his brother.
As Spencer stood up and straightened himself up, the twins hugged his legs, rendering him unable to walk and causing him to stumble slightly.
“Thank you, dad!” They said in unison before they pulled away and rushed up the stairs and to their room, presumably to add the skull to their ever-growing collection of obscure trinkets. Spencer watched them go, chuckling to himself and looking towards the kitchen when a small laugh caught his attention.
You were standing by the island, holding your black kitten to your chest and scratching behind his ear. Your hair was tied away from your face, and you wore one of Spencer’s old Caltech sweaters and the biggest smile. “Thought you weren’t coming home till Thursday,” you said, making your way over to him until you were standing in front of him. "How was Salem? Well, aside from the murder stuff, I mean."
Spencer leaned forward and connected his lips to yours for a brief kiss, pulling away to smile at you. “Aside from the murder stuff, it was pretty uneventful. It wasn't the same without the three of you” he said, turning his attention to the little black bundle of fur in your arms. “Hello, Thackery!” He cooed, gently taking the kitten from your arms to cradle him to his chest for a few seconds and scratch the top of his head.
You watched in amusement as Spencer set Thackery down on his little tower and gave you his full attention, grabbing handfuls of your sweater to pull you closer to him. In return, you wrapped your arms around his neck, grinning up at him.
“Are you done?” You teased, pulling a low laugh from his throat. He pressed his mouth to yours in a searing kiss, one of his cold hands sliding under the fabric of your sweater. His fingers pressed into the skin of your waist as he tangled his other hand in your hair, pulling you flush against him. Spencer swiped his tongue over your lower lip, reveling in the small sigh you gave.
You pulled your lips away from his slightly for a few seconds, pecking his lips twice and leaning forward to nudge his nose with yours. “You're lucky. You made it just in time for movie night,” you said, closing your eyes and humming when he kissed your forehead.
“Yeah? What are we watching tonight?” He asked. You shrugged in response, and both of you looked towards the stairs as the boys came bounding back to the living room.
Miles was clad in his favorite skeleton onesie, and Noah was wearing the Eeyore onesie you had gotten him last Christmas. Noah held a DVD box in his hands, holding it up for you to take. You turned to look at your husband, holding up the box while quirking an eyebrow playfully as if to say “now you know”.
“The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Spencer chuckled, moving to scoop the two boys in his arms. “I should’ve known. Come on, let’s go set up, yeah?” He asked them, carrying them into the living room and setting them down on the couch while you set up the DVD.
Spencer kicked off his shoes as you joined them on the couch, sitting with Noah in your lap. He stretched an arm over the back of the couch and tucked Miles into his side with the other. Thackery climbed onto the couch, curling up in Spencer’s lap with a soft purr.
Spencer couldn’t help but sigh, finally feeling his muscles begin to loosen up and relax. He sank further back into the couch and smiled softly, turning his head to look at you. He found your twinkling eyes staring back into his, and despite having been married to you for years, he felt his cheeks redden.
“Welcome home, Spence,” you said softly, shifting a bit so you could put your head on his shoulder without disturbing Noah.
Spencer’s eyes softened at your words. Never had he thought his life would be so full of love and happiness.
Gently, he reached around to stroke your warm cheek with his knuckles. “I love you,” he murmured, leaning towards you to kiss the top of your head, then doing the same with the twins, who giggled at their father’s actions.
He was finally home again, and there was nowhere else he'd rather be.