Andy shoved the files in her bag and zipped it up, ready to spend the rest of the night in her hotel bed. She made her way to JJ and Prentiss, who were standing in the middle of the room. They made small talk before Reid and Hotch approached her gingerly.
"Andy, before we say anything, I just want you to understand that I only said something to help you. And I hope you can forgive me for that," Reid said quickly.
She furrowed her brows with a look of mild concern, "Okay...what's going on?"
The two men glanced between each other before Hotch handed her a manila envelope. She hesitantly accepted it, "What's this?"
"As you know, I was the only one on the team previously aware of your childhood history before you came to join the BAU. And I understand why you decided to keep that part of your life private. But after seeing you interactions with the so called "witnesses," we called in a few favors," Hotch began.
Andy opened the envelope and pulled out a packet of papers. She quickly scanned over the top lines before looking up in disbelief, her chest pulling taut against her heart.
"We did a little digging on John Darlen. Turns out that he committed aggravated assault a state over. We arrested him and he'll be going to jail for running from the law. Of course, being incarcerated makes you unfit to be a guardian and part of his sentence was signing the legal foster documents," he explained softly.
Andy felt JJ's hand on her shoulder as she read the document over, tears welling in her eyes.
"And since you already had Jamie's consent on the transfer, we removed the kids from that house and into your care," Reid finished, looking at her face for any sign of anger. All she did was put her hand to her mouth to block the sobs and looked up at them, tears dropping down her cheeks.
"Is this real?" she whispered hoarsely.
Reid nodded as Hotch motioned towards the door. Rossi entered first, followed by three kids and Morgan. Andy swiveled her head in shock as she heard her name be shouted. She was quickly tackled by the youngest as she hugged her waist tight. After that followed Lydia and Dylan, each of them holding onto her like their lifeline.
Andy cried harder as tears of joy ran down her cheeks, accompanied by relieved laughs as she managed to wrap her arms around them all.
She saw Hotch through her blurry tears, "Thank you."
She pulled away slightly from the hug, still keeping their bodies close.
"It was actually Reid's idea. He set the whole thing up," Hotch informed, smiling at her.
Andy tilted her head towards the genius' body as another tear dropped. She let go of them and stepped in front of Reid, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
"Thank you."
She felt his arms snake around her back as she squeezed harder, not caring whether or not the team looked on. She let go a few moments later, staring briefly in his eyes before turning to Rossi, Morgan, and Hotch. She laughed and pulled them all into separate hugs, thanking them again. She returned to her spot with the kids and picked up Ava, resting her on her hip.
"Ready to go?" she asked happily, a giant smile spread across her face.
They nodded eagerly and she excitedly led them all towards the door and to the car outside, the team following them. Ava rested close to her side as her eyes began to droop. Lydia was talking nonstop to Reid, asking him questions about all sorts of educational things. Meanwhile, Dylan was asking Morgan about sports and being the ultimate g-man. Andy smiled constantly as she lovingly smoothed Ava's hair down and observed.
When they reached the hotel, Reid held the door open for her as she picked up Ava and gently laid her head against her shoulder so she would stay asleep.
Hotch wished them all goodnight as they made it to their floor and departed to their own rooms. When they got into Andy's she gently laid Ava down on the single bed and tucked her in.
"You guys sleep on the bed and I'll sleep on the floor," she whispered. They were so tired that they didn't bother to argue and quickly fell asleep as well.
Andy took a quick shower and organized their bags for travel in the morning. She looked over at the peaceful trio and smiled softly. Her heart throbbed before she tip toed out of the room and down the hall to Reid's.
She knocked on his door gently and waited as he opened it a few moments later.
"Hey. Is everything okay?" he asked.
She nodded, tears already brimming her eyes, "Spence...what you did today...I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."
Reid let her in as she continued her little speech, her voice becoming increasingly unstable, "You did in two hours, what I couldn't in thirteen years. You saved them."
A single tear ran down her cheek before Reid pulled her close and held her arms, "All I did was take them out of the house. But you...you kept them alive all this time. The only reason they made it this long was because they had someone to support and love them. You did that all on your own, Andy. And that's what makes you such an amazing person."
She let out a strangled cry before she locked his gaze with her own, "I've never felt so vulnerable before and I'm just afraid of losing the people I care about."
"You've never told me that before," he whispered.
"That's because I didn't have you before."
More tears ran down her face as she gently stroked his cheek with her thumb, "Spence...I can't tell you how much I care about you. But just know that I won't ever stop caring."
He nodded and smiled before leaning in, capturing her lips in a brief yet sensational kiss. He wiped her tears before leading her back to the door.
"I care about you too. Now please, get some rest. I'll see you first thing in the morning."
She nodded and bid him a brief goodnight, pecking his cheek before leaving and going back to her room. When she got back in, she pressed a gentle kiss to each of the kid's foreheads before laying down on her makeshift bed on the ground next to the lamp.
"Andy?"
She looked up and saw Dylan's eyes flutter open, "Yes?"
"You're the best sister we've ever had. We love you."
She smiled softly and reached over to brush his hair back, "I love you too."
---
"Family is not an important thing. It's everything."
-Michael J. Fox
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Vulnerable | Spencer Reid
Fanfiction"I've never felt so vulnerable before and I'm just afraid that I'll lose the people I care about." "You've never told me that before," he whispered. "That's because I didn't have you before." Andy Delvaux has always tried to forget her past, but he...
