never grow up, criminal minds

035. uncle derek

Spencer gets home after a case about a man who kidnapped three girls and held them captive for years, raping them within those years and giving them fake names.

He sighs as he shuts the front door after Ellie leaves, locking the deadbolt as he usually does.

Spencer walks into his daughter's room, finding her asleep and a stuffed octopus from Penelope held in her arms. He softly smiles, feeling at ease once he sees her safe and sound, calming all the "what if's" that run wild in his brain.

Spencer kisses her on the head, pulling the blanket up a bit more for her.

"I love you." He whispers, brushing some hair out of her face and rubbing the back of her head. He lowers the volume on her CD player so the music doesn't wake her up.

+++

"Can I please go to the party for Uncle Derek? I can still go to school, I'll just be late." Clara says.

"Clary..." Spencer sighs.

"Oh, come on. I barely see him lately." Clara pouts. "He hasn't been working for six months so I've only seen him a couple of times. And even before that, I was busy with school or you took me to see grandma or you guys were away on cases."

"Okay, okay, fine." Spencer relents. "But you're going to school once the party's over." He states and Clara nods, grinning at getting her way.

+++

They're in the round table room and wait for the door to open. When it does, Rossi and Derek step in, all of the others letting out cheers and greetings.

"Welcome back!" Clara cheers.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, no, you didn't." Derek denies. Clara rushes over to him and hugs him, Derek tightly hugging her back.

"Not my idea, babe. I was outnumbered." Savannah tells him.

"How long has this been in the works?" Derek asks. He kisses Clara on the head before letting her go.

"Oh, two weeks. You didn't suspect?" Savannah asks as Derek walks over.

"I, uh, had no idea." Derek says.

"That's good. A certain amount of cluelessness is nice in a husband." Penelope says.

"Okay, hush up." Derek says, wrapping an arm around the blonde woman's shoulders.

"Amen to that. A woman is entitled to her secrets, especially from a profiler." Tara states.

"Well, this profiler may not be changing any diapers, but I will tear up some diaper cake." Derek says.

"Oh, you look like a diaper changer to me." Rossi comments.

"Yes, you will be changing some diapers." Savannah states.

Derek immediately gets protests and arguments from the women. Clara quietly giggles as she watches him get in trouble.

"Ladies, I was joking, I was joking." Derek says. "Look, baby, I was joking. It was a joke." He kisses Savannah.

+++

"Don't you hate it when you're on it and then you sneeze?" Erin grimaces. "I hate that."

"It's annoying and gross." Clara grimaces.

"I want my period." Isabelle groans.

"Trust me, you don't." Clara argues.

"I want it so I know what you two are talking about." Isabelle huffs.

"You'll get it soon enough." Erin assures.

"Can you guys stop talking about it?" Luke asks.

"You're friends with three girls. Either get used to it or get out." Isabelle tells him, the other two girls nodding in agreement.