I Will Never Let You Go (A Maxcer Fanfic)

Welcome Back Spence.

Spencer walked through the doors of the BAU. It had been four months since the last time he was there; originally he was supposed to be back after three, but he did have another month's worth of vacation days that he couldn't pass up using. He was enjoying being a father, watching Willow grow over the few months. She was becoming more aware, was able to mostly sit up without support, she even had developed a laugh of her own that Spencer couldn't seem to get enough off. However, he knew he couldn't stay away from the BAU for too long; it was his home away from home, and his team was his family.
"Ah there he is." Rossi said, seeing Spencer enter the bullpen. Luke, Tara, and JJ followed his lead, taking turns giving him a hug. "Welcome back Spence." JJ said, squeezing his shoulder.
"Thanks. It's good to be back." He walked over to his desk, noticing that it was rather neat, unlike how he usually had it; and there were three picture frames sitting on display. One was a more recent photo of Willow, another was of him, Max and Willow shortly after she was born and the last was a large group photo when everyone had come to visit at the hospital. "You guys, this is amazing." Spencer said, turning around to look at them with a huge grin on his face. Matt walked over from the coffee maker and sat on the edge of a nearby desk. "So Reid, how is fatherhood treating you?" He asked with a smirk, taking a sip from his mug.
"Honestly, really good. Willow lets us sleep till seven a.m. most days, she's been sitting up on her own. It's fun to just watch her explore and interact with her toys."
"Just last week I got to see her; I remember her on her stomach kicking her little legs and reaching for her stuffed monkey; I honestly think she's gonna start crawling soon." JJ said.
"Have you baby proofed the house yet?" Matt asked. Spencer grimaced and said "We've been meaning to, but we've just gotten busy since Max started doing part of her job from home."
"Well, let me know if you guys need anything because we have an abundance of fixtures that Rose is starting to outgrow."
Spencer was just about to thank Matt when Emily appeared from her office. "Spencer it's great to have you back. We have a case so me and you can catch up on the jet. Wheels up in twenty."

After five days of Spencer being away, he finally called Max to tell her he was on his way home. He'd left for cases so many times before, but she really missed him this time around. She got so used to him being there when she woke up and when she went to bed. Not having him there also had some effect on Willow because she didn't go to sleep as easily. Spencer would rock her to sleep, tell her stories, feed her a bottle if he could before putting her down for the night, so not having him there seemed to rock her world. One night Max ended up falling asleep with Willow in their bed, simply because the little girl would not fall asleep in her room; and if Max left her, she'd make Max's heart ache from her cries. If this was a sign of what was to come, Max needed to better prepare herself for the next time Spencer had a case.
It was late, and she was currently in the hallway bathroom giving Willow a bath. The water was pretty shallow, but she still liked to splash the water with her toys. Max heard the front door open and close faintly from upstairs, followed by Spencer's voice.
"Max, I'm home."
"Upstairs. Green bathroom." She called. She could hear him make his way up the stairs, walking towards the bathroom. Right as he walked in, Max wet her hands and sprayed water in his face.
"Naked baby!" Max exclaimed, laughing as he jumped back a step, wiping his face. "Naked baby?" Max grabbed Willow out of the tub and wrapped her in her hooded towel, one that Garcia had bought for her.
"Naked baby now becomes a unicorn baby." She said, flipping the hood over Willow's head. Spencer laughed, coming closer to wrap his arms around the both of them. He placed a kiss on his daughter's head, then one on Max's lips, which seemed to linger a bit longer. Adjusting Willow on her hip, Max said "You hungry? I made some lasagna and left you a plate. I could heat it up for you while you get this unicorn ready for bed?"
"Yes ma'am." Spencer said, placing another kiss to her lips before taking his baby into his arms. Walking into Willow's room, he turned on her lamp, which illuminated the whole room so he could see but was dim enough so it would have a calming effect on Willow. After picking out a light blue onesie that had a rainbow on it, he placed her down onto her changing table, slipping a diaper beneath her and closing it with the tabs. He unzipped her pajamas, picked her up and laid them out so he could put her arms and legs through. He zipped her up, then brought her close to his chest. Kissing her head, he sat down in the rocking chair, kicking off his shoes and placing his feet on the ottoman.
"I missed you Wils. You and your mommy. It wasn't always so hard for me to leave my job in the past; now more than ever I wish I could clone myself." Willow just stared up at him, but he could tell she was listening. He tickled her feet, and she let out the giggle that Spencer had longed for while he was gone.
"She missed you too." He perked his head up, seeing Max standing in the doorway. Spencer remembered Max telling him over the phone that Willow had been having trouble sleeping, which wasn't normally like her. It made him feel even worse about leaving them. Max walked into the room and handed him her bottle, which she was eager to take into her mouth. She grabbed onto his finger as he held the bottle, making a smile creep onto his face. Max watched them for a few moments before she spoke.
"So how was the case? How was going back to work after four months?" She asked, leaning on Willow's dresser and resting her head against her fist. Spencer sighed.
"It felt good. It was a little strange, but good. The case was a bit tense, but it was nice to work with the team again."
Max nodded, but felt like Spencer wasn't telling her everything that was on his mind. He saw that look in her eye and he knew that she could see through his facade. "The case was a family annihilator. It just kinda got my mind racing." He said honestly. Max moved his feet and sat on the ottoman in front of him.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Is doing this job going to drive you nuts every time you encounter something that reminds you of us?"
Spencer actually thought about it as he looked down at Willow, who was almost down with her bottle. Looking back up, he met Max's gaze and honestly said "No. Yes, talking about victimology that relates back to me is unsettling, but I'd probably be more afraid if I knew what was out there and I wasn't on the team."
"I wasn't suggesting you shouldn't be on the team."
"I know, I'm just saying that even when it seems that I'm all bent out of shape from it, it never seems to be enough to drive me away."
Max nodded and stood, taking the empty bottle from him and kissing Willow on the head. She closed the door behind her a little, so the hallway light didn't disturb them too much. Spencer gave Willow her binky and rocked the chair slowly, humming as he watched her eyes close. He stayed like that for a couple minutes, then he carefully laid her down in her crib, wrapping her loosely in her blanket and placing her favorite stuffed monkey close to her.
"Goodnight Willow, I love you." He whispered down to her, brushing his finger against her soft cheek. He walked quietly out the room, closing the door almost completely.