𝑃𝐸𝑅𝐶𝑌 𝑅𝐸𝐼𝐷 thought the worst thing he would have to live through was his mother's death but life deals him a new hand, something he would have never expected, it takes away his father.
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PERCY NEWTON-REID WAS A TROUBLED KID, that was what all his nannies and babysitters said before they fled the house. Spencer never understood what they meant, he knew his son wasn't perfect, but he was a kid, Spencer wasn't looking for perfection, but everyone made him out to be some kind of child demon. He knew Percy could be reckless and irresponsible and had a smart mouth that would land him in a lot of trouble, but he didn't expect anything less. Percy was after all, a mini Delaney. She might not have been there through his childhood but that didn't stop the resemblance.
"Percy, just pack your bags and come out, I have to go." He knocked on the door where his son had locked himself in his bedroom, he had an extra key to the room in his dresser. He never used it, he wouldn't start today, no matter how desperate he was to have his son leave the room. "No." The voice on the other end spoke and Spencer sighed, he had to leave to catch his flight in less than an hour and he couldn't miss it. "Not until you promise you won't take me to Aunt JJ's, I wanna go to Emily." Percy was negotiating now, "I don't negotiate with terrorists."
"Rude, it's either Emily or I'm staying here until you come back." He could feel Percy lean against the door and he knew he was not going to win against his son. He could talk down a serial killer but struggled to get his son to follow his orders. "Emily is busy, you know that but Uncle Will is free, please don't make this difficult for me." Spencer had to leave, he had to get his mother's medicine and he needed to know while he was gone, Percy would be safe and since no nanny or babysitter in a ten-mile radius wanted to look after him, he had friends take care of his son when he was out of town. "That's bullshit." Percy spoke through the door, "Language."
"Emily said she would never be too busy for me; we made a blood pact. We sacrificed a lamb."
"What?" Spencer furrowed his brow at the confession, "It was a stuffed lamb but still." Percy explained through the door, Spencer knew why he would rather spend his time with Emily. It was fun, there were no rules, and he was the only kid there. He and Emily also got along pretty well because Emily didn't treat him like a kid, which was something that Spencer told all his friends to do. That they should treat him like a real person because that was what he was, he was just slightly smaller. Spencer also knew why Percy didn't want to stay with JJ and Will. It had less to do with JJ and the boys, more to do with Will. He and Delaney were second cousins.
"You know, Dad, I won't mind staying in here for years. I have a lifetime supply of macaroons in my dresser, and I doubt I'll run out of water." Percy spoke and for a while there was a small silence, Spencer was pacing across the hallway when he pulled his phone from his pocket, he gave in. He dialed Emily's number and after two rings she answered. "Hey, I know you said you were busy, but I need you." Spencer walked through the hallway, he picked up a picture off his desk as he held his phone between his ear and his shoulder. It was a dated picture, taken in the ninety-nine, a picture of him and Delaney. She was sat on his lap, her blonde hair draped over his head as she licked his cheek. He hated germs but they had been dating for about a month and he adored her enough not to care. He loved her, even then. He told everyone he knew a week in, that was a lie, he knew he loved her ten minutes after they met, and he knew he wanted to marry her about an hour later when she took him out for Chinese and taught him how to use chopsticks. Two hours later she beat him in chess, and he knew that he would never feel about anyone the way he felt about her.
He was right, he was still trying to figure out if that was a good thing or not.
He put the picture down and his heart swelled in his chest when Emily spoke on the other end, "You think the kid can do paperwork?" She joked and a shallow laugh let Spencer's lips. "You're a lifesaver, we'll be there in five." He felt relief wash over him as he walked back to Percy's door to wave the white flag of surrender. "Don't mention it, I'll always make time for the brat." Spencer thanked her again and hung up when he heard the door unlock. It opened and Percy stood in front of him with his backpack over his shoulders. "You already had your bag packed," The boy nodded and walked to the kitchen, taking a Capri sun out of the fridge before he turned to his dad. "Come on, we don't wanna keep Emily waiting. Bet she's buzzing to see me."
"Buzzing? Did you just escape a nineties thriller, just get out of here." Spencer opened the door and Percy walked out, walking at the speed of light, "Wait a minute. Why do you sound like you escaped a nineties thriller?" Percy was at the elevator when Spencer started talking, "What?" He pretended not to hear his dad as he made his way to the elevator, "Did you watch a thriller movie?" As he got closer, the doors slowly shut. "Can't talk. Bye dad!"
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"There are some ground rules," Spencer looked at his son when he spoke, "No staying up past nine."
"It's past nine right now." Percy raised his hand like he was answering a question in class, "I'm not talking about tonight, smart mouth and don't cause Emily too much trouble, she's doing us a favor here." Percy rolled her eyes but nodded, "I promise not to set her hair on fire again." He rested a hand over his chest and Spencer patted his head, before he turned to Emily. "Now for you," She frowned. "I get ground rules?" He pulled his lips into a straight line and nodded, "No more ritual animal sacrifices." Emily gave him a nod, "I'll give you to a minute." She glared slightly at Percy before leaving the living room as Spencer sits down on the couch.
"How long do you think you'll be gone?" Percy tapped his foot on the ground as his father undid the chain around his neck. "Two to three days, keep this for me while I'm gone." Percy held out his hand, watched as his fist clenches around the ring at the end of the chain. "Are you sure cause this feels like a send off scene, like in two days someone's gonna come knocking and hand me the first branch that brushed your shoulder and then tell me Emily is gonna have to adopt me and I end up at alcoholics anonyms in ten years telling them about this." Percy expected his father to scold him a little for the joke or give him a stern look, but Spencer got up and pulled the boy into his embrace, "I love you, Perc." He felt his father's arms wrap tightly around him, making it impossible for him to escape the hug. "You're a pretty cool dude,"
"Say it back." Spencer whispered and Percy knew his father wouldn't let him go until he did and for a while, he just said nothing, "Everything." He whispered back when he felt that the hug would sustain him for the next few days. "Everything." And just like that Spencer Reid was gone and his chain found a new home around Percy's neck. When Percy was five, he would cry if he didn't see Spencer for a few minutes, but he wasn't five anymore and it was no longer socially acceptable for him to cry when his father left.
"You told him, you little jerk." Emily walked out of the kitchen with a glass of wine and found the boy staring at the door, "He waterboarded it out of me." He fixed his face as his favorite aunt approached him, "Yeah, Spencer who wouldn't hurt a fly waterboarded his least favorite son."
"I'm his only son."
"I know." Emily pointed to the couch and handed him the TV remote. "Can I have a sip of your wine?" He sat down and Emily sat down beside him, she had a few minutes to spare. "So you can tell your dad, no way." Spencer had very clear rules when it came to his son and one of them was that he was not allowed to drink under any circumstances, he was barely allowed to have two sodas in one day and he wasn't allowed anything sweet after six so he could be ready for dinner. "I won't, I swear. Just one sip please." He begged for about five minutes and after a while Emily couldn't stand to hear it any longer and finally caved. He coughed like a deathbed patient after one sip, scaring the life out of Sergio who had fallen asleep on his lap.
"Never again?" Emily smiled and he nodded, rubbing his throat as he chugged a glass of water. "Never again." Ten minutes later the wine and the movie put him to sleep and somehow wiped his memory because when he woke up the next morning he asked for his dad, but Spencer was long gone, his flight had landed a few hours before Percy woke up. He bought Percy a few things when he arrived at the airport in Mexico, hoping to give it to him in two days but the days would pass and Spencer would not find his way home, not find his way back to his son and the gifts were lost along the way.
