165A/N: Well I warned everyone but in case you forgot, I"m in grad school and that's why this chapter has been so long in coming. I'm not making any promises on the arrival of the next one either, for the same reason. However thank you to my loyal reviewers. Shannon Jethro Gibbs Snape: thanks for the quick review. Flower Fairy 30: I work in the recovery room and unfortunately sometimes anesthesia does weird stuff to people. Whatif-ifonly: Thanks for the encouragement and the bouncing ideas off you. Mega love. Charmony: As always honey, I could not do it without you. MEGA LOVE!
Chapter 4: A Special Request
Spencer sighed as he dropped the book he was reading on the table by his bed. After four days in the hospital he was bored out of his mind. He let his head fall back on the pillow with another long sigh. He had already finished his homework for the week and read the books that Trish had brought to him when she got back the morning after his surgery. He glanced up eagerly as a knock sounded on the door.
"Hey Spencer," Rossi greeted him with a smile. His grin grew bigger as he watched his nephew stare curiously at the large wrapped package he held under one arm.
"Hi Uncle Dave. What's that?" Spencer pointed at the box his uncle carried.
Rossi looked down with mock surprise. "I don't know. Why don't you open it and find out." He held the box out to his young nephew, his trademark grin on his face and his dark eyes twinkling merrily at the boy.
Spencer grabbed the box and eagerly ripped open the paper. His hazel eyes grew wide at the magic set that was revealed as the wrapping fell away.
"Cool!" he yelled.
Rossi laughed at the child's enthusiasm. "Inside voice, kiddo," he admonished as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Thanks Uncle Dave!" Spencer reached over and gave him a quick hug before turning back to the box. He lifted off the lid as he started digging through the pile of cards, scarves, coins and other odds and ends. He fished out the top hat and plopped it on his head, laughing as the brim fell down over his eyes.
"You're not supposed to make yourself disappear Spencer." Rossi chuckled as he lifted the hat back off his nephew's forehead.
"I didn't disappear Uncle Dave," Spencer answered as he rolled his eyes. "It's physiologically impossible for a human to completely disappear." His gaze dropped back to the box on his lap as he pulled out a traditional wand and studied it. "Did you catch the bad guy?" he abruptly asked in what could almost be described as a casual way.
A faint smile touched the agent's mouth. "Yeah we did. It's nice of you to be concerned about it."
Spencer shrugged and dropped the wand back in the box, pulling out a deck of cards. "I don't want bad stuff to happen to other kids like it did to me."
He continued to play with the deck of cards in his hands, missing the searching look his uncle gave him. Deciding that it wasn't anything either he or Gideon needed to worry about, he distracted Spencer by pointing to something sparkly in the box. "What's that?"
Two days later, Spencer carefully climbed out of the car and walked slowly up the steps to the house. Even though he was feeling much better, he still tired easily and didn't have much of an appetite. He flopped down on the couch and winced slightly at the pain that shot through his stomach when he landed as Gideon carried his bag upstairs and into his room. He returned a few minutes later and ruffled his son's hair as he sat down on the couch beside him. "Tired kiddo?"
Spencer nodded as he shifted to lean against his dad. "Yeah," he murmured. He relaxed against his father's chest for a few minutes before craning his neck to look up at Gideon. "Dad, are you gonna marry Sarah?"
Gideon blinked at the sudden, unexpected question. He took a deep breath as he tried to decide how best to answer the child's query. He knew he had considered that very possibility, but was hesitant to pursue it since Spencer had reacted so strongly to her presence on their first few meetings.
He shifted positions so he could meet his son's gaze. "Why do you ask?"
Spencer shrugged. "She makes you happy and she took care of me, and she really is kinda nice."
"Kinda nice?" Gideon repeated, raising an eyebrow at his son.
The boy giggled softly. "Okay, really nice. She held me when they poked me and she didn't get mad when I got sick in the hallway."
"If I did marry her, would you be okay with that?" the agent asked quietly. Silence reined for long enough that Gideon became concerned with the answer. "Spencer?"
"Would she want to take my mom's place?" he asked very seriously in a quiet voice. "I don't want to call her mom."
Gideon hugged the little boy that meant so much to him. "Spencer, Sarah is never going to take your mom's place. She knows that you still have Diana in your life and she respects that. As for calling her mom, you don't have to if you don't want to. It's entirely up to you."
Spencer nodded slowly. "Then it's ok with me." A small smile touched his face as he dozed off in his father's arms. Trish came in a few minutes later to see both of them sound asleep, the child still wrapped in the man's embrace. She chuckled softly and returned to the kitchen after covering them both with a blanket.
Sarah smiled as she walked hand in hand with her boyfriend through the streets of colonial Williamsburg. In the two months since Spencer's surgery, the child had definitely relaxed around her and she was pleased to note that he actually seemed happy when he saw her now. She glanced around her at all of the snow covered buildings and the twinkling Christmas decorations. The whole place felt like a scene out of White Christmas. Gideon's pressure on her hand tightened and she turned to look at him. His dark eyes sparkled at her as the cold air turned his cheeks rosy. He really was very good looking, and his age had only managed to add a certain distinguishable character to his looks.
"Come on. There's something I want to show you."
He led her to the massive tree overlooking the square. Sarah caught her breath at the huge pine tree dotted with candles, ribbons and ornaments. A light dusting of snow added to the romantic atmosphere.
"It's beautiful," she whispered as she tilted her head back to stare up at the star on the very top of the tree. When she looked back in front of her she gasped as she realized that Gideon was down on one knee in front of her. "Jason, what are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Gideon replied. "Sarah Jacobs, I lost you in college and I thought that I would never find you again. When you moved back here, I made a promise to myself that I would do whatever it took to make you fall in love with me again. I've seen you interact with my son and I've seen his love for you grow. Sarah, I want you in our lives for now and for always. Will you marry me?"
Sarah stood frozen for several long moments. She had dreamed of this moment so many times, but at the same time had feared it would never come because of Spencer's initial reaction to her. Seeing Gideon shift anxiously, she blinked as it dawned on her that he was still waiting for an answer. "Yes. I will marry you." She wiped away a few stray tears as he placed a beautiful diamond ring on the third finger of her left hand. "Does Spencer know?" she asked hesitantly as he wiped away a few more tears.
"Yes, and he gave us his blessing. His only stipulation was that he wasn't going to call you 'mom'; at least not right away," he answered as he climbed to his feet.
She laughed softly as their lips met in a gentle kiss. "I can live with that," she murmured softly as he held her close. "I can definitely live with that."