Ummm...I can't-it's..I'm sorry. Six months...no excuses. I'm terrible, I can't believe that much time has passed.

I really need to rewrite this story, my writing has grown so much since I started. The old chapters are so cringe.

Thanks for reading! I'm so sorry for disappearing for half a year, that's just ridiculous.

Words: 2,234

When Spencer and Ryder return from their honeymoon, it's to find they've been moved into their new house. The plan had been to move once they go back but the team had other plans. Ryder all but bursts into tears and hugs them all. She blames the baby for her sudden onslaught of emotions.

Willow couldn't be happier to have a yard. Though most of the time she just lies in the shade, chewing on a bone. But when she's first let out in the morning, she runs back and forth as fast as she can. Ryder thinks she's just getting all her energy out for the day so she can just relax until it's time for bed. Oh, to live the life of a spoiled dog.

Life continues on as normal. Or as normal as it is for the Reids. Spencer starts teaching the closer Ryder gets to having the baby. It's nice, having him there more. They finish the nursery and Spencer insists on baby proofing the entire house. Ryder doesn't object, only stands back and watches him with an amused but fond smile.

Just like Spencer, Ryder continues to work. Though she doesn't travel, not that she's done much of that in the past few years anyway. She imagines she won't get the chance for the next couple years anyway. And she's okay with that. But per her doctor's orders, she rests a lot. An annoying amount.

Ryder is out with Nat when it happens. She's taking it easy, a lazy day after Spencer heads off to work. She'd been feeling crampy the last couple of months, she hadn't first thought anything of the pain. Until it becomes too intense to ignore.

"Are you okay?" Nat asks when Ryder fails to hide a wince.

"Mm-hmm," Ryder nods, her hand running over her stomach. "Yeah, just-" Another bout of pain cuts Ryder off. She groans and purses her lips, trying her best to breath though it. "Just cramps, it has be."

"Yeah? How often?" Nat says in an accusing tone.

"She's not due for five weeks, Nat," Ryder urges. "I'm not in labor. I can't be."

"For someone married to a doctor you'd think you would know that yes, you very well could be," Nat says while grabbing Ryder's arm and helping her along the path.

"He's not a medical doctor," Ryder grumbles before biting the inside of her cheek. Maybe Nat's right, her camps haven't been this bad before. But she can't have the baby today! It's too early! "Nat-"

"I know, sweetie, I know," Nat's tone turns soft and comforting as she wraps an arm around Ryder. "Deep breaths, you and the little one are completely fine, alright? Babies are born early all the time." Continuing out of the park, Nat helps Ryder into the car before starting towards the hospital.

Ryder pulls out her phone as soon as she's in the vehicle, ready to call Spencer. But when she looks at the device, she already sees a message from her husband. He got a case. The team is on their way to the jet to fly off somewhere. Ryder's heart drops. He sent the message ten minutes ago. She shakes her head, bracing a hand again her stomach before calling him.

"Hey, Ry-"

"Spencer," Ryder cuts him off, her voice coming out higher than she meant for it to. "Spencer, you can't leave."

"What? Ryder, what's wrong?"

"You're daughter is taking after you, she's an overachiever," Ryder groans.

"Are you in labor?" Ryder thinks she hears other voices suddenly speaking in the background but can't pay attention. She nearly drops the phone as the worst pain she's ever felt coursing through her body. "Ryder?"

Reaching over without taking her eyes off the road, Nat takes the phone from her friend and holds it to her ear. "Yes, your wife is going into labor. Don't worry, we're already on our way to the hospital. You'll meet us there?"

"Y-yes! I'm on my way right now!" Spencer nods and grabs his bag. He was already on his feet the moment Ryder spoke. The others around him on the jet all looked to him but they were silent. Until he asked that question.

"Morgan," Hotch speaks from the back of the jet. "Drive him there. We'll head to Chicago; you can work from the office with Garcia."

"You got it," Derek nods and starts after Reid who's already rushed off the jet.

"Keep us posted!" Emily shouts from behind him and he offers her thumbs up before chasing after Spencer.

"You're not breathing," Morgan says halfway to the hospital. He glances over at Spencer in the passenger seat. The younger man is clutching his bag so tightly his knuckles are white. Morgan doesn't know the last time he took a breath.

"How am I supposed to breath?" Spencer chokes out. "She's thirty-three days early, do you know-"

"I don't want statistics," Morgan cuts him off. "And I don't want you thinking about them either. What I want you to do is breath. And when we get to the hospital, I want you to go to Ryder and stand by her side through this. She needs you, man."

Nodding, Spencer stares out the windshield. "Okay," He mumbles. He knows Morgan is right, but- "I'm about to be a dad," The young genius whispers to no one in particular. "I don't know-I don't know how to be that."

"Hate to break it to you, kid, but no one does," Derek says. "Not at first. You can't prepare for it, no matter how hard you try. It's something you learn as you go."

"It's not like I have a good example to go by," Spencer grumbles bitterly. Her hears Morgan sigh but doesn't look at his friend.

"You're not like your father, Reid," Derek assures him. "You're going to be a great dad, okay? It'll be hard but I know you'd never do anything to hurt your child intentionally. If you did, I'd break your arms." A surprised laugh escapes Spencer and he nods, sniffing against the tears in his eyes.

Pulling up outside the hospital, Spencer is out of the car before it's even in park. He rushes inside and demands in a very un-Spencer like way to know where his wife is. Only two minutes later, he's rushing to her side.

"I'm here, I'm here," He grabs onto Ryder's hands, and she squeezes it, her face scrunched up in pain. Spencer lifts his free hand to Ryder's hair and brushes her sweaty locks back with his fingers.

"She's too early," Ryder gasps out after her contraction passes, her watery eyes looking up into his own.

"It's okay," Spencer assures her. "She's strong and so are you. You'll both be okay. I promise."

And that's how the next hours go. Spencer continues to assure Ryder, taking her cries and angry curses thrown at him in stride. One second, she's yelling that this is his fault and the next she's apologizing. He'd probably laugh if his hand wasn't on the verge of breaking. He's never realized how strong she really is.

Spencer will never admit to the tear that escapes his eye when he hears his daughters first cry. He squeezes Ryder's hand back and watches closely as the nurses check over their child before lying her across her mother's chest. Any pain Ryder had been in is gone in the moment, as she stares down into her daughter's eyes. She cries but for a different reason than before.

Another emotion rises inside her. She can't quite place what it is. Confusion, maybe. Sadness, a little anger. How could someone give this up? How had her own mother, the woman who carried her for months on end and gave birth to her, just give her up? Did she hold her when she was born? Or did she just have the doctors take her away? Ryder doesn't know how anyone could have a child, look at their innocent face and just...give them up.

Spencer is allowed to hold her but not for much longer. She's okay but she's still nearly four weeks premature. They want to keep her in the NICU for a bit, in an incubator just until they're sure everything's perfectly okay. And she is perfect, Ryder could tell the moment she laid her eyes on her. She's perfect.

Ryder is exhausted after her many hours of labor but despite this, it's hard for her to find sleep. She's sure the nurses are annoyed by how many times she asks about her daughter but if they are, they don't give it away. They only smile and assure her that her daughter is doing great. She's strong and healthy. They're sure she'll be fine to join her parents in the morning. They're just being cautious.

Spencer finally answers Penelope's many text messages. He calls her instead and informs both her and Morgan that both mother and daughter are doing just fine. Ryder chuckles when she hears Garcia squeal loudly over the phone. Spencer winces and moves the devices away from his ear before slowly moving it back. Penelope promises to fill in the rest of the team and to visit as soon as she can.

Eventually, Ryder manages to sleep. Spencer had convinced her to close her eyes and once she did, there was no coming back. The young man stays by his wife's side, his fingers gently moving through her hair. Not long after, he himself falls asleep.

It's nearly noon when the couple is allowed to hold their child again. All five pounds and two ounces of her. Ryder runs her thumb over the little hair her daughter has. Spencer sits on the bed beside her, his arm around her shoulders as he also stares down at their baby.

"I think she has your eyes," Ryder observes quietly. Their daughter isn't asleep. She just ate and now she's looking up at her parents, seeming to study them as they watch her.

"You can't tell yet," Spencer chuckles. "Permanent eye colors doesn't set in until around nine months. She definitely has your nose, though."

"You think?"

"Yes. Thank goodness."

"I like your nose," Ryder insists and looks over her shoulder, nudging his nose with her own.

"I like yours more," Spencer argues before moving to press his lips against Ryder's. "Either way, she's perfect."

"She is," Ryder agrees and turns her gaze back down to her daughter's face. "I can't believe it. She's ours. We made a human."

"Well, you did all the hard work," Spencer adds, smiling when he feels Ryder chuckle.

"And don't forget that."

"Never," Spencer promises and moves his chin to rest on her shoulder. "How could I when you gave me her?" Grinning, Ryder turns her head back and kisses her husband once more before settling into the bed for the rest of the day.

"Knock, knock," Announcing his arrival, Morgan pokes his head into the hospital room housing his friends with a large smile. "Hey."

"Move," Garcia pushes past the man and into the room. Morgan huffs and enters behind her. "Aw," The woman freezes with a small noise when her eyes land on the child in Spencer's arms. "Sh-she's beautiful, look at her."

"Thank you," Ryder smiles. "I think he's been holding her more than me."

"What?" Spencer says and lifts his hand to look at her. "I-"

"Spencer," Ryder cuts him off with a smile. "I'm kidding. She's yours too."

"Can I?" Penelope asks while slowly holding her arms out.

"Of course," Standing, Spencer carefully passes his daughter over to his friend as Morgan moves to stand behind her. "Got her?"

"Yes," Garcia nods with an impossibly wide smiles, her full attention on the fragile baby in her arms. "She's so precious!" She whispers shouts with a quick glance to the parents. "Derek, look."

"I'm looking," He assures her. "Hey, kid, I think she has your eyes."

"See," Ryder smacks Spencer's arm and looks up at him. "I told you."

"You can't know that," He argues. "Not for months."

"Nah, I mean the intelligence in them. She gonna have her dad's brains."

"I'm going to be outnumbered," Ryder smiles fondly. "My two geniuses."

"Alright, baby girl, my turn," Moving to stand in front of Garcia, Morgan gently takes the tiny baby into his arms. Ryder snorts at how much smaller her daughter suddenly looks and shakes her head. "Hey, sweetheart," The man coos. "Look at you. Now don't have to worry about a thing, alright? I'm gonna look after you dad so he can look after you, okay? That's a promise."

It's so cute! She's here! The baby!

I didn't edit this so I'm sorry for any mistakes.

What do you guys think? This story is nearing it's end. Like I said before, I really, really need to rewrite it but I have no motivation. This was my first CM story (I have many more WIP's at the moment) so it will always hold a special place with me. But I guess I just want to move onto other things.

Thanks so much for reading!

'-'