Archive of Our Own ^beta

Derek and Spencer had been dating for several years. Their relationship began in mid-2005, two years after the young genius arrived at the BAU. They moved in together after a year of dating and married two years after that. They had now been together for four years: three dating and one married. Reid was 28 and Morgan was 36. They lived together in one of the houses the older man was remodeling, and with each passing day they fell even more in love with each other.
They had a fairly established routine: they woke up together and had breakfast, enjoying each other's company. They went to work together, sometimes traveling for a case, and then returned, together again, to their warm home, where Clooney welcomed them enthusiastically.

Things couldn't have been better between them. They knew each other and understood each other like no one else. Sure, they sometimes argued, almost always over issues related to exposure to danger at work, but it was never anything so serious that he couldn't solve it.
They loved each other and made a great team. Derek had never imagined himself like this. He'd always been strictly a womanizer and a flirt. He never believed he'd ever find someone he wanted to plan a life with, much less that that someone would be a man, but nevertheless, he had found him. And he couldn't be happier about it. They were a family. Reid, Clooney, and he formed a beautiful and warm home together. Everything was perfect, nothing was missing, or at least that's what he thought, until a conversation he had with Spencer.

The team had gathered at Rossi's house for lunch one Sunday. Everyone had gone. Even JJ and Hotch had brought Henry and Jack. The day went wonderfully. They ate one of Rossi's delicious meals, while everyone took turns holding baby Henry or laughing at the antics of the funny little Jack.
As evening fell, each member returned to their home. Morgan and Reid said goodbye to everyone with a smile and headed back to their car to return home. The drive was completely silent, and upon arriving, Morgan noticed something was wrong with Reid.
"Reid, honey, what's wrong?" the older man asked softly, lifting his chin so their eyes met.
"Nothing, Morgan. Everything's fine," the younger man replied with a faint smile, which Derek instantly recognized as forced.
"Nothing like that, pretty boy. Tell me what's wrong," the dark man said, leading Reid to the couch so they could talk more calmly.
"It's just something that occurred to me a few months ago, but they were just thoughts, and I really hadn't realized how much I loved him until today. But honestly, Derek, it's not a big deal," he said with a hint of shyness and sadness.
"Nothing like that, kid," the older man replied. "Obviously it's important if you've been thinking about it for months. What is it? Why haven't you ever mentioned it?"
Reid took a deep breath and looked up shyly, meeting his gaze. "I think I want kids."

Morgan was shocked; he'd never have expected that answer. Kids? Him and Reid? It was something he'd definitely never considered.
"That's why I didn't tell you. You've never mentioned it, and I understand why you don't want to, so we can just forget about it," the younger man said, getting up from the couch.
"Come back here," Morgan pulled him back down, causing him to fall into her lap. "Reid, it's not that I don't want to. Okay, I definitely hadn't considered it, but it's really hard. We're a gay couple, and some adoptions are very closed off to that, not to mention our job. We're always traveling. Who would give us a child?" he recited, ideas coming to him on the spot.
"I know, Derek. It's basically impossible. I've already thought of every possibility. It's just that today, after seeing JJ and Will with Henry or Hotch with Jack, only... I don't know, I got a little jealous, because I would love to have that too," he commented, a few tears trickling down his eyes.

And then Derek imagined it. Images of a boy running around the yard with a ball, or a girl playing tea party and forcing him and Reid to wear boas and feathers to keep her company, flashed through his mind. And he liked it. He felt a tightness in his chest as he imagined them all on this same couch watching "Toy Story," or Spencer reading the little boy a bedtime story, or him holding a helpless little boy who called him "Daddy."
"We can do it," Morgan said softly, taking the younger man's hand.

Reid's gaze quickly met his, and a faint smile spread across his face. "Are you serious, or just trying to make me feel better?"
"I mean it, pretty boy. We can try. We can look for an adoption agency or a surrogate mother. We can start a family together," he said, smiling even more as he thought about it.
"Yes, yes. I think I'd like to adopt," Reid said, after a few moments of shy smiles and a few tears on both their parts. "It would be nice to be able to give a chance to someone who didn't have one growing up."
"I think the same, handsome," the dark-skinned man said, giving him a soft kiss on the nose. "We can start looking for adoption agencies right now."
Reid, surprisingly, jumped to him to hug him and kiss him all over. They were going to do it. They were going to start a family.

Two weeks later, the couple was leaving a meeting with the social worker from an agency they contacted. They were asked several questions and the woman told them that these processes could take time, but to stay hopeful. She also told them that they would soon receive a surprise visit from a social worker and a psychologist at their home to assess certain qualifications.

Two months had passed since Morgan and Reid had begun the adoption process. They still hadn't heard anything. Every day that passed, they grew more anxious, but they understood that it was a long process and that the waiting list for futures parents in their same situation was long. So they tried to think about other things and do activities together to distract themselves, but no matter how hard they tried, the topic always came up again. They both truly wanted that.

One Saturday morning, Derek returned home from a run with Clooney when he found Spencer crying on the couch. "Pretty boy, what happened? Are you okay? Talk to me," the older man asked, worried, not understanding what had happened to his husband; he'd been fine when he left.
But then, Spencer looked at him, and a big smile spread across her lips. "The adoption agency just called. They said we're ready and that there's a possible adoption we can arrange," she said happily through tears.

Morgan looked at him hopefully and started to cry too. "Really?" he asked, smiling and sobbing at the same time. "So how is the process? What else did they tell you?"
Spencer wiped her tears and stared at him. "He's a four-year-old boy. His name is Tyler, and he's lived in a homeless shelter since he was born because his parents abandoned him and asked not to have any ties to him," he explained, sighing softly. "But there's something else. The woman who abandoned him years ago came back to the same shelter and said she's pregnant. Apparently, it's a girl, and she's about to be born. And she wants to give her up for adoption, too. So, the agency wants them both adopted, so they can grow up together as siblings."

Morgan looked at him in astonishment. He couldn't believe what he was hearing—how there were people who abandoned their children like that, and others like them who wanted them so much. Of course, he didn't know the woman's living circumstances, but it still angered him.
However, he put those thoughts out of her mind and focused on the wonderful reality before her. "That's wonderful, pretty boy," he said, smiling, holding the younger man's hands so tightly she could have broken them.
"Do you really think that? Do you think we're going to be able to handle two little boys?"
"Of course we are, Spence. We make a good team, in every way, and we're going to make sure we give those two children the best life possible. I think this is perfect. What do you say?"
"I think so. We can do it," the younger man said, smiling.
"Of course we can. We're going to be parents, baby," the dark-skinned man said, crying and hugging his husband, in the deepest and most emotional moment they had ever shared.
After a few moments of kisses and hugs, Spencer pulled away and looked at her husband. "We should call. They told me we can meet Tyler this afternoon. And they're also going to give us some information about the baby. It's a visit to make sure we get along," she explained.

Hours later, Derek and Spencer were sitting next to a little boy with brown-blond hair and bulging brown eyes. A simple "hello" was enough for both men to know that this child would be living with them very soon.
The visit went more than well. The couple explained the situation to the little kid, and when they mentioned the possibility of adopting him, the boy just smiled and hugged them. This brought tears to everyone's eyes, and after about two hours, they had to say goodbye to the child, but not before assuring him that they would see him again soon.

At the end of the visit, the two agents had to sign a million papers and commit to many things. When they finally finished and were able to leave, it was already eight o'clock at night.
The agency told them that they would be able to welcome Tyler into their home next week. And that they would do the same with the little girl as soon as she was born. For now, they had to cover the costs of the ultrasounds and the delivery.
Once they arrived home, they talked and decided to plan a lunch there the next day to discuss the news with the team. They should also call their families. They hadn't told anyone because they didn't want to make the wait even more difficult, so no one knew about the couple's plans.

Sunday arrived quickly, and all the guests began arriving at the couple's home. Finally, once everyone was there, Penelope finally spoke, "Okay, lovebirds, you said you needed to tell us something. What's up?"
The two lovers looked at each other and smiled before placing some papers on the table. Hotch was the first to read them, and a wide smile spread across his face as he read the "Congratulations on your adoption" written there.
Seeing the boss's smile, everyone gathered around him and read the papers as well. No one knows who was the first to say congratulations, or the first to hug them. But suddenly, their house was a sea of tears, joy, and questions.

After many questions and a delicious, happy-tasting meal, Reid finally looked at them all and spoke, "We need to ask everyone for help. We need to get the kids' rooms ready. Especially Tyler's, since the baby will be sleeping with us for at least a few months. But we can't do it alone because we have very little time. Tomorrow we're going to go shopping for most of the things, but we wanted to ask if you could help us put together the furniture and paint the walls," she asked, almost pleadingly.

"Of course. We're not leaving this house until everything is ready for those two little ones," Emily replied with a smile, and everyone supported her. The two men looked at each other and smiled, grateful for the team they had.

Once everyone left, they both called their moms. Diane couldn't be happier, and Reid promised they would travel as soon as the baby grew a little. Fran, on the other hand, was already packing his suitcase the second he received the news. She decided to travel to help them. She would stay in a hotel, but she would be there for whatever her new grandchildren needed.

A few days passed, and Tyler's room was ready. They had painted the walls a light blue and drew white clouds on one of them. The furniture was white, and the place was filled with toys that each member of the team had bought for them. Garcia and Emily may have gone a little overboard with the amount, but it didn't matter; they had found a place to store them.
On the other hand, their room had been redecorated, moving the bed and adding a cute pink crib next to it, as well as furniture with baby clothes, diapers, and a changing table.
The couple looked at each other and both smiled. They were ready.

The wait until Friday seemed eternal, but the day finally arrived, and at nine in the morning, two social services employees brought Tyler to his door. He was a mixture of shyness and amazement, which worsened when the boy saw his new room. The little boy could only smile, he hugged the two men, and thanked them before playing with every toy there.
A week later, the three of them were traveling to the clinic, where a tiny newborn baby girl with bright blond hair and very dark eyes was waiting for them. The men were stunned to see her. She was beautiful. Spencer was holding Tyler, so Derek was the first to hold her, then they switched children, and it was Spencer's turn. The photo the four of them took that day was the most beautiful one they'd ever taken.
The next morning, the entire family was already returning home. Now, truly complete.

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A year later, everyone gathered in the yard of Morgan and Reid's house celebrating their daughter, Hope Reid Morgan,'s first birthday. The entire team had attended; some of Tyler's school friends, whom he had invited, were also there, as were Derek's mother and sisters. The hospital had even allowed Diane to travel for the occasion.

"Daddy, Daddy," Tyler said, running to Derek, who quickly picked him up and spun him around in the air.
"What's up, champ?" his father asked, ruffling his hair.
"It's time for the cake. Aunt Pen and Dad are lighting the candles," the excited boy replied.
"Then let's go," Derek suggested, heading to his husband's side.
They placed the cake in front of Hope's high chair, and the three of them gathered around her while all people sang Happy Birthday. Tyler stood on a stool next to his sister and held her hand. Spencer and Derek, behind them, hugged each other and their children and beamed with joy, calling Clooney over, while Penelope captured every moment with photos.

The men looked at each other and then at their children and kissed briefly before continuing the gathering. They were both beyond happy. Finally, they had everything, even more than they could ask for. They were a family.

THE END!