It had only been a few weeks since you gave birth, but you were already more than eager to get back to work.

Not to do work, necessarily, no — you just missed the team. They were your family through and through, the ones that showed up when you were struggling with your pregnancy, the ones who cared more for you than the baby’s father ever could.

They’d all been gathered outside of the delivery room as you gave birth. And JJ being the only member of the team who had children herself, stood in there and held your hand while you went through the most excruciatingly beautiful moments of your life.

Ever since then, you’d been occasionally visited by each of them. Penelope would drop off baskets by your door when you were asleep, or bring them inside with a warm cup of coffee when you were awake. Emily would stop by to do chores for you, to give you a break, Derek came by to update you about the team, hell even Hotch stopped by to give you some of Jack’s old baby toys.

Spencer never showed up, but you knew why — he was in Vegas with his mom for a good while after the birth, and now with the paperwork and cases piling up the whole team was occupied.

And you missed them. So much so that you threw on some decent clothes for the first time in weeks, trying to look less like an exhausted, worn-down mom and more like the profiler and friend they all knew.

An hour later, you were stepping out of the elevator into the bullpen, the familiar buzz of agents and smell of paperwork filling your nostrils. Your baby was fast asleep in her carrier. She looked so peaceful, and you were already somewhat giddy for the team to see her again.

But even more so for you to see the team again.

To see Spencer again.

For some reason, him meeting your daughter meant more to you than anything. He’d been your best friend ever since you’d joined the team years back, the one you relied on the most. And him… he was always scared to care. To care and then lose somebody, but with you?

He never hid how much he cared for you and the baby before she was even born.

You step further into the bullpen, your heart pounding with a mix of excitement and nerves. Spencer is there, tucked behind his usual fortress of papers and books, his eyes flickering up to land on yours. His face brightens, that familiar shy smile spreading slowly, like he’s been anticipating this moment just as much as you have.

He stands up quickly, almost knocking over a stack of files in his rush, and he walks towards you with that usual nervous energy.

Your baby stirs softly in her carrier as he approaches, her fingers clenching her blanket. Spencer stops directly in front of you, eyes going between you and the baby.

“Hey,” he muttered, quietly so he doesn’t disturb your daughter.* “You’re here.”

You nod. “I missed you.”

His lips parted like he had a dozen things to say but couldn’t decide which to pick. Instead he crouched down slowly, his smile widening as he looked at the baby.

“She’s so tiny.” He said, almost in awe.

“Do you want to hold her?”

“I-uh, yeah, I do. Of course. I just…” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I’ve not…I mean, not since Michael was a baby, and even then I was mostly sat down and JJ was watching like a hawk and–”

He took a deep breath to center himself again, his hand brushing lightly against the edge of the carrier, but as soon as his hand touched your daughter’s, her peaceful silence shatters. Her little face scrunches up as she bursts into a loud, urgent wail.

Spencer freezes, his eyes wide with panic. “Oh no– what did I do? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to–” His hands hover helplessly over her, like he’s unsure whether to pick her up or step back and leave you to it.

“I…I don’t know what to do,” he admits, his voice breaking. “I didn’t mean to scare her.”